Manchester United are planning an overhaul of their defence and signing Alderweireld from Tottenham Hotspur would not be a bad place to start.
Toby Alderweireld’s precarious contract situation has been well documented in the last few months.
It is understood that the Belgian centre-back is out of contract at Spurs in the summer of 2019 but his deal includes the option of a one-year extension. But even if Tottenham do trigger the extension, they would be powerless to prevent Alderweireld leaving North London if anyone met his £25 million release clause.
And United, who are looking for a new defender this summer, appear to have identified Alderweireld as a potential low-cost addition to a rather shoddy defence.
As reported by the Mirror, Mourinho could look to offload England international duo Phil Jones and Chris Smalling during the summer. And United have a couple of targets in mind, including Leicester City’s £50 million-rated Harry Maguire.
But Alderweireld – a far more proven and experienced Premier League defender – could be available for much cheaper with Spurs seemingly unable to demand top dollar for one of the best in his position.
Interestingly, a number of United fans took to Twitter recently to clamour for the club to make Alderweireld a priority during the summer.
And it appears that the decision-makers at Old Trafford have the same idea.
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