Tottenham Hotspur hold the upper hand in negotiating a price for Toby Alderweireld.
United are hoping to get the deal done before the World Cup, believing that £50 million could be enough to get their man.
Tottenham are in no rush to sell, and who can blame them?
Alderweireld is set for a prominent role at the World Cup with Belgium, who are fancied to go far in the tournament.
Success in Russia will inflate Alderweireld’s price, as Manchester United discovered back in 2002 when Rio Ferdinand’s performances for England drove his price up when they wanted to sign him from Leeds.
Tottenham need only look at how they got pushed into spending £30 million on Moussa Sissoko to see the effect a tournament can have on a player’s price tag.
Alderweireld is a top quality defender, and Spurs ideally want upwards of £70 million for him, ESPN report.
So it makes perfect sense for Spurs to hold out and not sell before the World Cup.
He has currently got United right here he wants them.
Belgium’s early tournament fixtures should have Spurs chairman Daniel Levy rubbing his hands with glee.
Alderweireld’s Belgium are favoured to beat both Panama and Tunisia, and two clean sheets are not out of the question.
The biggest challenge comes in the form of Tottenham talisman Harry Kane, who takes on Alderweireld in the third group game.
A big performance from Kane, embarrassing Alderweireld, could counter-balance any positive strides he makes in Belgium’s first two games.
Tottenham need strong performances from Alderweireld to drive up his price tag.
Shutting down Harry Kane will make him even more appealing to United, but if he gets exposed, then it could have the opposite effect.
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