Toby Alderweireld has become a transfer target for a number of Premier League clubs, including the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, but Tottenham remain favourites to sign the Belgian.
The 26-year-old defender has enjoyed a solid first season in the Premier League on loan at Southampton from Atletico Madrid.
As a result, Ronald Koeman’s side do have an option to make the loan permanent for £6.8m, while the Spanish club can buy out the rest of the loan for £1.5m to sell their man to the highest bidder.
Alderweireld is aware of the interest in him, and has made it clear that he hopes to remain in the Premier League, stating, “Atletico will decide my future, but I would like to stay in the Premier League. That some of the big clubs show interest proves I’m doing well.”
The Belgian international would be an asset for any squad, because while he naturally plays at centre-back, he can also effectively play at right-back and in midfield, as he has proved at St Mary’s this season.
While Spurs would usually struggle to see of the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in a transfer tussle, they have bargaining chip those other clubs don’t have. Alderweireld has strongly suggested in the past that he would relish joining up with international teammate and Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen at club level.
The prospect of that centre-back pairing would be music to the ears of Spurs fans, as the club have struggled to nail down a constant, and reliable, defensive partnership in recent years and that, for many, has been their Achilles heel.