Manchester United have begun preparations for a negotiation battle with Tottenham Hotspur over the transfer of Toby Alderweireld. Now that Belgium has been knocked out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and is set to face England in the third-place match, the Red Devils can finally begin talks with Spurs and the player himself.
Tottenham Hotspur are ready to sell the 29-year-old in order to extract the maximum value out of the remainder of his current contract. The North London outfit will have no choice but to part ways with the centre-back for as little as £25m next summer if an extension is not signed by then. As per reports, Mauricio Pochettino is looking to get £60m from Manchester United but Jose Mourinho plans on pulling it down to £50m.
Alderweireld played every single minute of his country’s involvement in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, other than the inconsequential group stage match against England. He was picked by Roberto Martinez next to Vincent Kompany and Jan Vertonghen despite getting dropped by Pochettino from the Tottenham starting lineup this past season.
The 29-year-old had missed almost three months of football action with a hamstring injury, causing him to lose his starting spot to Davinson Sanchez. His fitness has been a cause for concern but Alderweireld has managed to deliver at the highest level whenever called upon.
The current Spurs lineup pairs up Vertonghen and Sanchez at the heart of the defence. They have formulated a very lucrative partnership which is hard for Pochettino to break up without an injury to either of the two.
This has left Alderweireld in a very difficult spot while he is still in his footballing prime. Maybe playing second-fiddle to others is not ideal for him and a move out of the North London outfit would be in the best interest of both the club and the player.
Manchester United are undergoing their own defensive problems with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones struggling to meet the growing expectations at Old Trafford. Without Eric Baily in the lineup, the Red Devils have looked vulnerable at the back and could use the experienced head of Alderweireld to put a better title challenge. Finishing 19 points behind their bitter rivals is not the best look for the ex-Galactico boss as he will be looking to prove his doubters wrong in the upcoming season.
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Alderweireld will be a quality acquisition for Mourinho and might very well be worth the investment. So undoubtedly it will be a good move for all parties involved, especially for Mourinho and his men this summer.
