Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld reportedly had a release clause in his contract which expired earlier this week.
Tony Cascarino has claimed that Toby Alderweireld’s age was the reason behind why Manchester United didn’t push to sign the Tottenham defender.
The 30-year-old had a release clause worth £25 million in his contract, but it was not met by any club and expired on Thursday, as reported by the Evening Standard.
Manchester United are keen to add defensive quality to their backline, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to sign Harry Maguire, but Leicester City want more than £80 million for his services, as reported by Sky Sports.
Speaking to Weekend Sports Breakfast on TalkSport (27/07/2019 at 10:30 am), Cascarino stated that United are pushing for Maguire over Alderweireld because of what he can provide the club over the next ten years.
“Ole is looking way beyond two seasons,” Cascarino told TalkSport. “I think it’s a bit of everything. Maguire is 26. Alderweireld is 30. Now, United will have the same problem in two to three years time, and they might get two or three years because Alderweireld is a very good defender. But they are looking beyond that.
“They want someone to be there for at least half a decade. So that’s why they are looking at someone like Maguire. They [United] have to go younger now.”
Whilst Alderweireld’s reported release clause has expired, the transfer window is still open which means that other teams can still push to sign the Tottenham man.
Less than two weeks remain before the Premier League season starts, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side taking on newly-promoted Aston Villa.
Spurs supporters will be hoping that Alderweireld will remain at the club ahead of the new campaign because his presence will help the North London outfit push on from last season’s fourth-placed finish and Champions League final.
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