Former Tottenham defender, Alan Hutton, believes that Jan Vertonghen faces a big dilemma when it comes to deciding whether or not to extend his contract until the end of the season.
The centre-half’s current deal with Spurs runs out next month but the club are said to be in discussions over extending his deal until the end of the season.
This comes after the Premier League allowed clubs to enter into short-term agreements with players who will become free agents in June (Football Insider).
However, multiple reports have backed the experienced defender to leave North London in the summer.
The 33-year-old has been linked with moves to the likes of Inter Milan (Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness), Roma, and Napoli (Gazzetta dello Sport via TEAMtalk).
Real Betis have also now emerged as the favourites to land him, with the Daily Star claiming that the defender is already in discussions over a two-year deal.
Hutton fears that Vertonghen would not want to put his transfer in jeopardy by extending his stay at Spurs. However, he insisted that the Belgian international still has a few years left in him at the top level.
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When asked about Vertonghen’s contract situation, the former Scotland international told Football Insider: “It’s a really strange one, it’s difficult to think of – I’m trying to think from my perspective, if it was me. I mean how long are we talking, are we talking a month’s contract, are we talking three?
“It’s been a strange one for him throughout the season, it’s been well documented about wanting to leave, then he’s going to stay, then we don’t know what’s happening and time’s running out but I would want to keep him.
“I think he’s got a lot of time left in his legs and it’s whether he wants to do that or not – he might not want to commit and then put people off so he might be one of the ones who is just willing to hold out and see where it takes him.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Hutton is right in saying that some players who will become free agents next month wouldn’t want to risk signing a temporary extension and risk injury, especially given that they are likely to get lucrative contracts this summer. However, Vertonghen has proven his loyalty to the club over the years and I believe he will not hesitate to commit until the end of the campaign.
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