Tottenham will not cave to Toby Alderweireld’s contract demands but risk losing their star defender, claims The Daily Mail.
Alderweireld’s future at Tottenham has suddenly been cast into doubt after he was left out of the travelling squad that earned a 2-2 draw with Juventus on Tuesday night.
The Belgium international recently recovered from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for three months but has been snubbed by Mauricio Pochettino for Tottenham’s last two matches.
Pochettino insists he is carefully integrating Alderweireld back into the equation following the longest injury lay off of his career but there is a feeling that stalled contract talks are also a factor.
Alderweireld’s current £50,000-a-week contract is due to expire at the end of next season but Tottenham have a clause to extend his stay by a further 12 months.
However, by doing so Tottenham will also active a £25m release clause in the summer of 2019 that rival clubs will be able to trigger up until the final 14 days of deadline day.
Alderweireld has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League in the last few years and wants to be made one of the club’s highest earners in order to commit his long-term future.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are not willing to break their strict wage structure and that has brought contract talks to a halt for the time being.
Tottenham will argue that Alderweireld’s importance to the team is not as high as previously thought after going unbeaten against Juventus, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool in their last five matches.
All results where achieved without Alderweireld in the team, but news of a contract standoff has only offered United greater optimism that a deal can be done in the summer.
No Premier League outfielder completes more accurate long balls per game than Alderweireld (9.1).
