PSG ready to rival Man Utd and Barcelona for Toby Alderweireld
Paris Saint-Germain are ready to rival Manchester United and Barcelona for Tottenham Hotspur central defender Toby Alderweireld.
Alderweireld’s Spurs future is in doubt, as the club are yet to agree a new contract with the Belgian after talks stalled.
His current deal contains a one-year extension option, which is scheduled to activate in the summer of 2019 and would see him contracted to 2020.
But it also features a £25million release clause that could be activated in the summer of 2019, as long as a transfer was completed at least 14 days before the closure of the window.
That means Tottenham may have to listen to bids in the region of £40m for 29-year-old Alderweireld at the end of this season, which has alerted a host of clubs.
United and Barcelona have been following Alderwiereld’s situation for some time, particularly after Manchester City seemingly dropped out of the race by signing Aymeric Laporte.
Chelsea are also monitoring events, but it is PSG who could provide United and Barcelona with the sternest competition.
The Ligue 1 club look set to change their manager this summer and are ready to back the new man with a healthy transfer budget to improve the squad.
One area PSG know needs strengthening is the centre of defence and Alderweireld would suit their needs perfectly without needing to break the bank.
PSG’s hopes are also boosted by the fact they have developed a favourable relationship with Tottenham over the past year, having moved Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura to the London club in the past two transfer windows.
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Tottenham would prefer to not strengthen a Premier League rival in United, while it remains to be seen how strong Barcelona’s interest in Alderweireld proves to be.
The prospect of three clubs bidding for Alderweireld will please chairman Daniel Levy, as an auction would help push his price up.
Levy is adamant that Tottenham will only sell players that manager Mauricio Pochettino will allow to leave, as was the case last summer with right-back Kyle Walker who joined Manchester City.
It is expected that Pochettino will give the green light to Alderweireld’s exit if the right offer comes in and he could also allow left-back Danny Rose to leave.
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Alderweireld has been struggling with a hamstring injury and his last two appearances have come in the FA Cup against Rochdale and Newport County.
Meanwhile, Alderweireld’s Spurs and Belgium team-mate Jan Vertonghen has admitted Tottenham have an FA Cup advantage with the semi-finals and final being staged at Wembley.
Spurs have been drawn to play Manchester United in the last four at their temporary Wembley home and Vertonghen said: “It definitely helps us because we have played well there.
“We've beaten some big teams there and had some very good games, apart from the start of the season when it was a bit difficult for us.
“Juventus wasn't great, but Wembley suits us and we've had a good season there. We really feel at home there.”
