Tottenham Hotspur star centre-back Jan Vertonghen looks set to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June.

It is not yet clear whether or not Spurs and Vertonghen have the option to extend the contract until the end of the season, but what is clear is that both parties see the Belgian international's future elsewhere.

The 33-year-old has been linked with a return to Ajax in the past, as well as a number of Italian clubs including Roma and former teammate Christian Eriksen's current club, Inter Milan.

The front-runners in the race to sign Vertonghen are not yet clear, as clubs across Europe will be dipping into the free-agent market due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing huge financial losses.

It's a crushing blow for many Spurs fans who consider the defender a club legend, having performed at a high level with consistency throughout his 8-year stint at the club, where he has made 228 appearances, scoring 6 goals. 

What move makes sense for Vertonghen?

While a move to former club Ajax could be on the cards in the future, Vertonghen is a player still capable of playing at the highest level in the top leagues, and a move to the Eredivisie could be considered a step backwards.

Inter Milan have signed plenty of players from the Premier League in the last couple of seasons, including Romelu Lukaku, Ashley Young, Victor Moses, Alexis Sanchez and of course Christian Eriksen.

The three-times European Cup/Champions League winners, however, have already sufficient cover at the centre-back position in Diego Godin, Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij, Andrea Ranocchia, and prized starlet Alessandro Bastoni.

Real Betis have seemingly pulled out of the race, while Manchester United who have heavily been linked with the Belgian for years, now have also gone quiet with their interest in Vertonghen.

The most likely destination could be either Roma or Napoli, with Napoli facing the potential sale of star centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly - who has been linked with Spurs as well as Newcastle United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Roma are also a plausible destination for Vertonghen who may link up with fellow centre-back and former Tottenham teammate Federico Fazio, who recaptured his best form in Rome after a nightmare spell in North London.

Who will replace Vertonghen at Spurs?

The likes of Koulibaly, Nathan Ake, and others have all been linked with a move to Tottenham in recent weeks and months, but due to the financial implications Coronavirus has had on Football, it is unlikely any permanent transfer deal will be completed by Spurs unless funds are raised.

Juan Foyth in recent weeks has been linked with a shock move to Barcelona, but it is unlikely that the transfer fee involved will match the transfer fee required to sign any potential targets.

The youth academy at Spurs may well be utilised by Jose Mourinho in order to replace Vertonghen, with Japhet Tanganga and Malachi Fagan-Walcott making their first-team debuts this season and Cameron Carter-Vickers due to return from his loan spell at Luton.

Tanganga has already made the step up to the first team and has won over the Spurs fans in the process, putting in man-of-the-match performances against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Fagan-Walcott is another young prospect who, at the age of 18, is one of the most exciting young English defenders with a very high ceiling if he realises his potential.

Meanwhile, Carter-Vickers is someone who probably does not have a future at Spurs, but after his impressive loan spell at Luton where he has been a catalyst in providing the Championship relegation strugglers hope of avoiding the drop, pre-season may be crucial in proving his worth to Jose Mourinho.

 

 

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