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What's the rumour?
According to the Mirror, Barcelona want a new centre-back and hence are looking at the 29-year-old Spurs defender who has less than a year left in his contract. With Pique out of form and injuries hampering their other defenders, Barcelona are in dire need of a central defender and hence have identified Alderweireld as their prime candidate to fill this loophole in the January transfer window.
In case you didn't know...
Toby Alderweireld was the main transfer target of Manchester United in the recently concluded summer transfer window. Tottenham refused to sell their star central defender and hence denied Manchester United the opportunity to sort out their weak defence before the start of the season. Despite Barcelona's reported interest in the player, Manchester United still remain firm favourites to land the Belgian defender at Old Trafford.
The heart of the matter
Toby Alderweireld has established himself as one of the most formidable defenders in the Premier League. His no-nonsense defending, ability to cover the pitch pretty quickly and the potential to score goals for his team during set-pieces has proved quite beneficial for Tottenham. His defensive partnership with Jan Vertonghen for both Spurs as well as for Belgium is perhaps one of the best in the world.
With less than a year left in his contract at the club, the Tottenham hierarchy is still going slow on it and haven't offered an extension to him. Hence, this has alerted interested parties like Manchester United and Barcelona who are on the lookout for a central defender.
Rumour Rating: 6/10
The Mirror is a credible online publication and hence this report might prove to be true in the future. With clubs like Barcelona and Manchester United looking to bid for the player, Pochettino will find it extremely difficult to convince his star player to extend his stay at the club.
What's next?
Both Manchester United and Barcelona need some reinforcements at the back. Hence, it will be an interesting January transfer window if both the clubs compete with each other for the signature of Toby Alderweireld.
