Tottenham do not want to extend the current contract of defender Toby Alderweireld, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper claim that White Hart Lane chiefs have the option of extending the Belgian’s deal, which runs until 2019, by a further 12 months but it includes a £25million release clause that could be triggered in the summer of 2019.
The Telegraph report that Tottenham want to rip up Alderweireld’s deal and negotiate a new contract without any release clause.
It is said that 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.
In a question-and-answer session at the One Hotspur Fans’ Form, in which Levy was joined by manager Mauricio Pochettino and captain Hugo Lloris, the issue of the future of Alderweireld was raised.
Supporter @THFCsince1976 attended the event and reported Levy as saying that he was “confident” the defender will commit to a new deal.
I did. No censored questions although no answer you wouldn’t expect. DL “confident” on Toby contract.
— THFC1976 (@THFCsince76) December 11, 2017
The defender admitted in October that he has not even been offered a new contract by the club although he revealed he is happy at White Hart Lane and has expressed his commitment in talks with Mauricio Pochettino.
OPINION
This is a very delicate situation for Levy and the Spurs board. Losing Kyle Walker, fine right-back though he is, was careless. But losing Alderweireld is 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. White Hart Lane regulars have gone so far as to say the 28-year-old is head and shoulders above every other defender to represent the club in the last 30 years – and that includes the hallowed Ledley King. 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, otherwise he will quit at a knockdown price. Levy’s public confidence in the player staying will appease fans for now, but they will start to agitate if the contract is not signed soon.