Manchester United is determined not to give in to the pressures of Tottenham and pay the outrageous price for the Belgian center-back Toby Alderweireld. They are set to have him, but they will not hesitate to walk away from the whole deal unless a common ground can be found.
The negotiations between Manchester United and Tottenham regarding the 29-year-old Alderweireld have been going to for several weeks now. The player is more than willing to pack his bags and move to Old Trafford. However, the price is a major point of discord.
The Numbers at Stake
Some reports have shown that United is offering around $55m for the center-back. However, that doesn’t come anywhere near what Tottenham is asking. Tottenham believes Toby Alderweireld should be valued around $75m, which is a figure they came up with from the Virgil van Dijk transfer from Southampton to Liverpool last January.
Manchester United has made it clear that the offer on the table is unrealistic and that they will not go through with it. They have informed Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy that they are ready to walk away and consider other options unless some kind of an understanding can be made.
A Little Backstory
However, the whole story by Manchester United may as well just be a bluff. The reason for this is that United are well-aware that Toby Alderweireld has refused to sign a new contract with Tottenham and is determined to switch colors. Therefore, Tottenham doesn’t have much choice but to sell him and United believes they can dictate the price.
Moreover, there is a certain clause in his contract that stipulates he can leave Tottenham for as little as $25m in summer 2019. So, it seems to us that we have definitely not seen the end of this story and that further developments are more than realistic.
Should Tottenham Sell Alderweireld?
Without a doubt, Toby Alderweireld is one of the most valuable players that Tottenham has and one of the more accomplished ones in the Premier League. However, can Tottenham benefit by selling him? According to Jermaine Jenas, yes. He has lost his team in the Spurs in the last couple of months, so they can profit from him this way.
Jermain Jenas added that he believed Alderweireld was a phenomenal player and an important addition to the Spurs. However, as he is nearing his 30th birthday, he might be falling off the track, especially as Daniel Levy prefers younger players on his team.
At the same time, Tottenham has not been able to get Manchester United to sell them Anthony Martial, whom Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs manager, has his eyes fixed on. United is reluctant to sell him to their biggest Premier League opponent.