Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has dropped a major hint suggesting that the Eredivisie champions could be interested in Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen in the summer.
Vertonghen’s current contract with the club runs out at the end of the season and reports over recent weeks suggest that the club are unlikely to offer the defender an extension (Daily Mail).
After being substituted with just over an hour played against Southampton, the central defender looked devastated on the bench and some Spurs fans felt it was due to the 32-year-old realising that his time at the club was coming to an end.
Vertonghen, who moved to Tottenham from Ajax in 2012, was linked with a return to his former club last month (De Telegraaf). Ten Hag has now revealed that the Belgian international is one of the players the Dutch giants are looking at this summer.
When asked about the Spurs defender, he told TV channel Ziggo (as relayed by Sport Witness): “Jan has a history at Ajax. Of course, we are following his situation very closely, but you also have to look at the position in which someone plays.
“If that comes together, the availability and the position in which he plays, then he is an option.”
The 50-year-old also insisted that Vertonghen’s age will not be an impediment to a potential transfer.
MORE SPURS STORIES
Ten Hag added: “There is no question of any age limit here. If someone is good enough, it doesn’t matter how old he is.”
Spurs Web Opinion
If Vertonghen doesn’t turn his form around quickly and play his way back into the side, I cannot see the club offering him a new deal in the summer. If he does run his contract down and become a free agent in the summer, then a return to Ajax is certainly on the cards for the 32-year-old.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
