OPINION
Tottenham should go all out to secure the signing of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake this summer amid speculation over the future of Toby Alderweireld.
According to a report from The Sun, Tottenham are interested in signing Ake, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side thought to be readying an offer of around £40 million for the centre-back.
It will be essential that Tottenham invest in their squad during the transfer window, having not signed any new players in either of the last two windows, and the need for a defender could be heightened by Alderweireld being linked with a move to Manchester United, according to the Express.
Alderweireld has just one year remaining on his current contract at Tottenham and it looks like the Belgian international could leave the club this summer, with Daniel Levy not wanting to lose a player of his quality for nothing next year.
Ake, who joined Bournemouth permanently after a successful loan spell from Chelsea for £20 million in the summer of 2017, still has another three years left on his current £40,000-a-week deal [spotrac.com] at the south coast club.
However, a move back to a side in the top four like Tottenham could prove to be very appealing for the Dutch centre-half, as he looks to continue his development following a couple of impressive campaigns for Bournemouth.
Ake could be the ideal long-term replacement for Alderweireld at Tottenham, with the defender showing his qualities in possession having recorded an 86% pass completion per game [whoscored.com] in his 38 Premier League appearances last season.
The 24-year-old is also an able defender having averaged 1.7 tackles and 6.1 clearances per game [whoscored.com] for Bournemouth last campaign, which suggests he would be ideal for Pochettino’s side.
Pochettino has a proven track record of being able to improve talented players such as Ake, and the Dutch defender could thrive under the Argentine in north London if he makes the move to Spurs this summer.
It will be interesting to see whether Tottenham do end up making a move for Ake during the transfer window, and much could depend on Alderweireld’s future, but if a deal is possible Spurs should go all out to make it happen.