Manchester City are monitoring Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld’s situation in North London. According to reports, Spurs have left their Belgian defender out of their squad that travelled to Juventus for Tuesday night’s crunch UEFA Champions League first-leg tie at the Juventus Stadium. It casts fresh doubts about the 28-year-old’s future in North London with a whole host of clubs waiting to pounce on his signature in the near future.
The former Ajax defender is yet to agree to a new deal with his current contract set to run until the summer of 2019 with a one-year extension option that is set to be activated in 2019 which could extend his stay until the summer transfer window opens in 2020. However, his contract also features a £25m release clause which could be activated in the summer of 2019. This indicates that Spurs need to tie him up on a new and improved long-term contract but might have to consider selling him next summer if an agreement can’t be reached by then. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City may look to make a move for him at the end of the season if Alderweireld’s situation at Spurs does not change.
Alderweireld did not travel to Turin with the North London outfit for what is set to be one of the biggest games of their season, which will give rise to more speculation regarding his future at the club. The defender has currently been left back in London to work on his fitness following a long injury layoff which has seen him miss the bulk of this season. He has been out of action for three months due to a hamstring injury and made a return to football when he laced up versus Newport County in the FA Cup last week.
The Spurs centre-back announced himself fit for the North London derby but was left out of the match-day squad and now, he is set to miss the first-leg against Juventus as well which is unlikely to make him happy. Only time will tell whether this will have any impact on his contract talks with the club.
The Citizens are currently leading the Premier League table with a tally of 72 points in 27 league matches. They are in cruise control as they look to earn another league title at the top tier of English football with a staggering 16 point lead over their crosstown rivals Manchester United. Pep Guardiola’s side are still participating in four different competitions, having already secured qualification to the final of the Carabao Cup while also going through into the fifth round draw of the FA Cup. The potential addition of Alderweireld next summer could prove to be a shrewd piece of business that will undoubtedly bolster Guardiola’s defensive options at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City currently boasts the likes of John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and new recruit, Aymeric Laporte in their matchday squad while club captain Vincent Kompany has struggled with his fitness this season. Guardiola should look to recruit an experienced defender like Alderweireld if the Citizens are to maintain their dominance in European football in the coming years.
The Belgian has the capability to push for a starting place in Pep Guardiola’s squad while also providing some healthy competition for the City defenders. The 28-year-old has a wealth of Premier League experience and won’t need time to adapt which can help newcomers like Laporte settle into the club next season. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the Belgian centre-back and whether Manchester City can lure him to ply his trade at Manchester next season.
