Toby Alderweireld remains in talks with Tottenham over a new contract as he prepares to make his long-awaited return from injury, according to Sky Sports.
The broadcaster claim key centre-back, 28, is still negotiating with the Spurs hierarchy about replacing his existing deal, which runs until the summer of 2019 but with the option of a further 12 months.
The Times recently claim that the Belgium defender has snubbed the deal on offer from Spurs as he could treble his £55,000-a-week salary at another club.
Tottenham’s public stance is that they are confident of tying Alderweireld down to a new agreement and remove the £25million release clause that could be triggered in the summer of 2019.
Alderweireld explained that he is looking forward to get back playing again after a hamstring injury suffered at the start of November.
“I feel good. I feel fit. I’m strong. I feel ready to give 100 per cent again, like I always do,” Alderweireld told Sky Sports News. “”We’re going very well with Spurs in the last few seasons; getting top four every year and nearly winning the league. It’s up to us to have a better season in the Champions League too.”
Chairman Daniel Levy and the Spurs board want to prevent the possibility of the defender leaving in 18 months for a knockdown fee.
Levy told a supporters forum at White Hart Lane at the end of last month that he expects the Belgium international to end his stalemate with the club and pen an extension to his current deal.
OPINION
One Alderweireld gets back playing and delivering majestic performances, the clamour among supporters for the club to tie him down to a new contract will only increase. Levy and the Spurs board find themselves in a delicate situation. Losing Kyle Walker, fine right-back though he is, was careless. But selling Alderweireld would be on a different scale altogether. The Belgian is more than just the club’s outstanding defender. He is one of Europe’s pre-eminent centre-backs. The problem for Tottenham is that Alderweireld and his representatives hold all the aces in this game of contract cat-and-mouse. They know the player is in demand and could secure a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs. They also know he is irreplaceable at Spurs. Tottenham must offer him a new deal that reflects his standing in the game, and not allow him to use the second half of the season as a shop window for his elite defensive services.