Toby Alderweireld wants £150,000-a-week but Spurs won’t pay it – which side will crack first in contract negotiations?
The future of Toby Alderweireld is one of the most pressing situations happening off the pitch currently at Tottenham Hotspur.
As ESPN reports, Spurs have been in talks to extend Alderweireld’s current contract – which expires in 2019 – for more than a year but are no closer to doing so since the latest discussions broke down.
There is an option to extend the deal by 12 months but that would then trigger a £25m release clause; something the club are understandably reluctant to do for a centre-back considered among the best in the Premier League.
However, things are complicated because Alderweireld wants his current £50,000-a-week wages trebled to £150,000-a-week so that they match the other highest paid players in the division in his position.
Tottenham do not want to do that because it would break their carefully constructed wage structure, which currently sees Harry Kane as the best paid on around £110,000-a-week.
This is a problem the North Londoners have experienced recently with Kyle Walker and Danny Rose as well, with the former hugely increasing his earnings after a summer move to Manchester City, while the latter complained about his pay packet in an exclusive interview with the Sun.
Alderweireld knows he would have plenty of potential suitors and therefore is in a strong position for negotiation, but do Spurs cave in and meet the Belgium international’s demands or stand firm and potentially face losing the defender?
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