Manchester United are leading the race to sign Tottenham centre-back Toby Alderweireld, according to reports in the English media.
Spurs activated their option to extend the 30-year-old’s contract for a further year, but a clause means he will be available for just £26m this summer.
The buyout fee has alerted the likes of United, Barcelona and Juventus with Tottenham said to have given up trying to keep the defender.
Some fans on Twitter are backing the move to recruit Alderweireld:
Alderweireld in and Bailly out. Would take that for sure. No brainer. https://t.co/CS04uyXc6K
— James (@writtenoff_mufc) 13 March 2019
Make it happen @ManUtd .?
— Ottis® (@OttisSnr) 13 March 2019
I’d take it but if this means no Koulibally then no
— Shihab (@Shihab06) 13 March 2019
Honestly speaking, getting Toby Alderweireld and a younger CB makes much more sense. As good as Kalidou Koulibaly is, spending £100m on him will ensure lesser funds for targets in other areas. We need at least 4-5 signings this summer and we cant spend £100m on one player #MUFC
— Chirag Gupta (@ChiragG41) 14 March 2019
Alderweireld still got a couple of years left in him, signing him for less than 25m wouldn’t be a bad decision after all. #mufc
— RED (@ConnectionRed) 14 March 2019
Wouldn’t mind Toby at all
— Corey Harrison (@CoreyHarrisonn) 13 March 2019
However, other supporters are not as convinced:
Too old
— Dipesh (@dipeshp) 13 March 2019
We need koulibaly or skriniar. Going for the cheap option.
— Scott MUFC1 #GlazersOut (@ScottMUFC1968) 13 March 2019
We don’t need an old man with one leg .. he’s past it now . Why not spend £80m on De Ligt and potentially we can sell him twice that amount in a few years time
— ⚽️Gordon – United4Life ? (@GordonW1906) 14 March 2019
Why can’t United sign Koulibaly instead going for Alderweireld bcuz he would be cheaper
— Cryptic (@philip_obadiah) 13 March 2019
Why are we going for 30 year old center backs?
— Wark Goldbridge (@WarkGoldbridge) 13 March 2019
United will be looking to strengthen the backline in the summer, but many fans are looking for a marquee signing like Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt or Inter’s Milan Skriniar.
All three are younger than Alderweireld but would probably cost three times the amount the Belgian is available for. The centre-half’s experience of the Premier League could also prove a factor.
The defender has made 38 appearances in all competitions for Spurs so far this campaign.
