Tottenham are still working on tying Toby Alderweireld to a new contract – but are yet to reach an agreement, according to a reliable journalist.
Kristof Terreur, who covers the Belgium players in the Premier League for Belgian publication HLN, reported on his personal Twitter account on Friday morning that Spurs and Alderweireld have held talks over a new deal.
But in an update amid intense media speculation, Terreur explained that the two parties have yet to settle the terms of a new deal.
Lots of rumours doing the rounds, but Tottenham and Toby Alderweireld haven’t reached an agreement over a contract extension (as yet). There have been talks, though. #thfc pic.twitter.com/XE1X9P1ope
— Kristof Terreur ???? (@HLNinEngeland) January 26, 2018
Alderweireld has a contract with Tottenham that 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.
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
With Alderweireld on the verge of returning to action after nearly three months on the sidelines – he is not yet ready to figure in Saturday’s FA Cup clash at Newport County – his contract situation will become even more of a pressing concern for supporters concerned at the possibility of losing one of the team’s outstanding players. Losing Kyle Walker, fine right-back though he is, was careless. But waving goodbye to 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. It is a delicate situation for Spurs but they appear to have little option to catapult the defender into their top pay bracket.