Manchester United “confident” they will sign Toby Alderweireld, Spurs ready to spend fee on Ajax starlet

The Toby Alderweireld transfer saga loomed ominously over the second half of the season. Alderweireld was injured, but then didn’t see a lot of playing time after he did return to full health. Apparently a contract dispute between Toby and Spurs was the reason that Mauricio Pochettino froze the Belgian out of his squad.

But Alderweireld is still a quality defender, and thus there is significant interest in his services heading into the summer. Manchester United have been rumored to be keen on the centerback for a while. The Standard has more on United’s interest, and more on what Tottenham would do with the fee they receive.

Spurs will sell the Belgium international after failing to agree a new contract with the centre-half, and will use the money to buy Ajax starlet Matthijs de Ligt.

Standard Sport understands that United are ready to spend in excess of £40million on the 29-year-old.

Talks between Tottenham and Alderweireld broke down this year after he rejected their last offer. It was believed to be worth around £120,000 a week, which is more than double the £50,000 a week he earns.

With Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona all interested, United are prepared to pay him considerably more than Spurs’ final proposal. Unlike the north London club, United are also willing to give him a long-term deal that will keep him at Old Trafford into his mid-30s.

This is a familiar story for Spurs fans. It would be another case of the club selling one of their best players to a direct rival. It happened with Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick when they went to United, and it happened last year with Kyle Walker when he moved to Manchester City.

If PSG and Barcelona are really interested, then hopefully they will soon come to Spurs with an offer. Daniel Levy could be willing to accept a slightly smaller fee if it meant he could sell to a club outside of the Premier League. That would be the preferred outcome here, other than Toby staying. Signing Alderweireld would make Manchester United a much better team while also making Tottenham a worse team. That doesn’t seem like a smart move.

Matthijs de Ligt is an incredibly promising player. At just 18-years-old he is already one of the best defenders in the Eredivisie. He would be another impressive young player added to Spurs’ ranks from Ajax, but his price is rumored to be close to £50 million. That’s a lot for a teenager, especially when the fee Tottenham receive for Alderweireld could end up being a similar, if not less, amount of money.

The World Cup starts in just under a month, but the summer transfer window is already in full swing. If bidding heats up, or Spurs are eager to sell early, then Toby Alderweireld could have a new club team by the time he takes the pitch for his national side in Russia.