OPINION
When the curtain falls on another Premier League season this summer, and the fallout from the final league table is complete, attention will inevitably turn to another several months of transfer madness.
And, for Tottenham Hotspur, the focus will fall on just one man. Toby Alderweireld.
The Belgian enforcer’s contract stand-off with the club has been the big story of the last few weeks, with barely a day going by without a new ‘development’ being reported.
Reports in recent weeks have covered everything from the possibility of him leaving, the chances of him staying, the thoughts of his current teammates, the teams interested in his signature, and the money involved in any deal to see him both stay or go.
There is no way of knowing at the moment what will happen with Alderweireld, but for the purposes of this article let us imagine that the contract rebel does leave Tottenham.
The club will surely be devastated by the loss of such an integral player, but soon, focus will turn back to practicalities.
More specifically, Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy will need to find a replacement for the 28-year-old.
And there is one man available this summer that would be a ready-made option to replace Alderweireld.
As reported by Football Italia, Lazio director Igli Tare has announced that the club have withdrawn their offer of a new contract to Netherlands international centre-back Stefan de Vrij.
De Vrij has been at Lazio since the summer of 2014 after impressing for the Netherlands at the World Cup, and is now set to be available on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The 26-year-old is being courted by some of Europe’s top clubs, including Juventus, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
But Spurs must be smart and swoop for the enforcer this summer.
De Vrij is two years younger than Alderweireld at 26, and therefore still has a couple of years until he reaches the peak of his powers.
The Netherlands international has shown that he can perform at the top level on a consistent basis for Lazio over his four-year stint at the club, and is looking for a new challenge.
With Alderweireld (hypothetically) having left Spurs, there will be a clear opportunity for a top defender to come in and make that position his own.
A back three of Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez and de Vrij would be just as solid as one containing Alderweireld, and would provide Spurs with a younger player with more scope to the future.
With the 33-cap international centre-back available on a free, there is also little risk involved in the transfer if de Vrij somehow does not perform in England.
The move is a no-brainer for Spurs, and Pochettino and Levy must recognise that and move fast to secure the 26-year-old before another top club does so.