Tottenham continue to use defender as a pawn
Tottenham have dug in their heels regarding Toby Alderweireld. If Manchester United want them, they’ll have to pay dearly.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that Tottenham are being difficult to deal with in terms of selling Toby Alderweireld. Manchester United clearly want the classy defender, but Spurs are in no mood to make it easy for their England rivals. It’s going to cost Jose Mourinho a ton of cash or Anthony Martial to get a deal done.
Reports from England claim United originally believed £55 million would be enough to get a deal done. They were quickly informed by Spurs their offer was insufficient. No one knows exactly what Tottenham will accept, but it’s clear United haven’t offered enough as of yet.
The other option available to Jose Mourinho and company is to include Anthony Martial in the deal. The Special One doesn’t believe the Frenchman has a future at Old Trafford, but club officials don’t want to sell him to a Premier League rival. The thought of him moving to Spurs and lighting the league on fire under Pochettino certainly doesn’t appeal to Ed Woodward and company.
Thus far, United have refused to discuss Martial. Predictably, that’s caused Tottenham officials to engage the player and his representatives about a move directly. Various sources have reported that Martial’s agent will meet with Spurs soon to discuss a possible move.
No one should expect anything definitive to happen soon. Spurs are happy to let Alderweireld go to the World Cup and put on a show for any number of potential suitors. The higher-ups at Tottenham would also prefer to sell Alderweireld outside of England if all things are equal. Acquiring Martial would be enough to convince them to make that sacrifice, but otherwise it’s going to cost United a small fortune.
United clearly don’t want to capitulate to Tottenham’s asking price so early in the transfer window. They’ll try to scare Daniel Levy by acting as if they’re happy to walk away from the negotiating table. Spurs know that’s nonsense. Mourinho has identified the Belgian as his top transfer target and he’ll raise hell if he doesn’t come to United this summer.
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Look for both sides to continue to play every negotiating game possible over the next several weeks. Nothing will happen quickly here. Fans of each club should occupy themselves with other transfer storylines until further notice.