Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld could move in the January transfer window, as he has been once again linked with a move to Manchester United, as per reports.
The Belgian was earlier reported to have been a target for the Red Devils, but the transfer did not go through, with the English side signing Harry Maguire instead.
According to Tuttosport (via Dailymail), the centre-back will be put up for sale in January once again as Spurs do not want to lose him on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer.
Manchester United could make a swoop for Alderweireld in January in a bid to add experience and options at the back. Italian giants Juventus are also interested in signing the experienced centre-back.
A clause in his contract allowed clubs to buy him for €28 million in the summer transfer window, but no clubs triggered the clause.
Despite not signing a new contract with the club, the 30-year-old has featured for the North London side, playing all 7 games in the Premier League as well as the Champions League game.
Does signing Alderweireld make sense now?
Manchester United signed Harry Maguire in the summer transfer window for a record fee paid for a defender to finally solve their defensive woes. United also tied down Maguire’s defensive partner, Victor Lindelof, to a new contract recently.
United’s faith in Lindelof means they see him Maguire’s partner for the long term, which is why their rumoured interest in Alderweireld is perplexing.
Alderweireld will want to play and not sit on the bench if he does move to Old Trafford, but Maguire and Lindelof are forming an understanding at the back which could blossom into something fruitful for Manchester United.
Adding a player who turns 31 next March into the starting XI in place for two players who are much younger than him does not quite fit in manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s promise of building a young team.
The move for Alderweireld also does not make sense as United have three other first-team centre-backs in Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, and promising defender Axel Tuanzebe. They should only sign another centre-back if they can sell Jones and Rojo in January.
Tuanzebe’s development could also be halted if they sign Alderweireld, with many fans believing that the young central defender is the real deal.
The Alderweireld deal would have made sense last summer, but not in 2020, as United are building a team of young talent that could do well in the next 2-3 years’ time.
