Tottenham Hotspur may lose Toby Alderweireld this summer.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld’s contract at the club is due to expire in 2019, though there is a possible one-year extension, but Spurs may have to cash in on him this summer as a clause in his current deal allows him to leave for £25 million a year later.
The situation has become problematic for Spurs. Alderweireld is widely regarded as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, and the player is said to want wages reflective of his ability.
According to Spotrac, the Belgian’s current salary stands at £80,000 per week, while Spurs’ highest earner is Harry Kane with £100,000 per week. Reports in the Sun claim Alderweireld wants double that.
Paris Saint-Germain are said to be willing to stump up the cash to lure the defender to the French capital, and it may be in Tottenham’s best interest to let him go should they have a ready replacement lined up.
Release clauses often pose dilemmas for clubs in football yet Spurs in contrast could take advantage of one in order to replace Alderweireld with one of La Liga’s leading central defenders – Lucas Hernandez.
According to Marca, the recently capped France international could leave Atletico Madrid for roughly £48 million as the Spanish editorial highlight how the defender has a 55 million euros release clause in his contract.
He has been labelled as one of the 10 most affordable players in Spain who could leave for well below their true value, and the 22-year-old is absolutely ideal for Tottenham and their style of play.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are renowned for their relentless pressing and work-rate off the ball, and this in turn sees the defence push right up and squeeze the space in the middle of the pitch.
Against teams lacking in pace it’s a brilliant move, but as shown in their 4-1 defeat at Manchester City earlier in the campaign, there is space behind that defence and both Jan Vertonghen and Eric Dier struggled.
Hernandez is a perfect fit due to his impressive speed, and the defender illustrated as such with a historic 34 km/h burst following by a world class tackle in Aletico’s recent 1-0 win over Deportivo.
His challenge earned a standing ovation from the home crowd, while observers on Twitter were quick to highlight how you would be hard pressed to find a better tackle anywhere across Europe this season.
With Hernandez being so young, his release clause means he is available at a very reasonable price for such a promising talent and as such he represents the ideal solution to Spurs’ current dilemma.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
