Tottenham warned ‘most valuable asset’ is likely to sign for Man City or Real Madrid – ‘only concern’

Tottenham star Van de Ven

Tottenham Hotspur have been encouraged to start contract talks with Micky van de Ven as he will soon be on the radar of several clubs around Europe.

Van de Ven was one of Spurs‘ marquee signings during last year’s summer transfer window.

Liverpool were heavily linked with the former Wolfsburg star but Spurs jumped ahead of their Premier League rivals to secure his services for an initial fee of around £34.5m.

The centre-back has been one of Ange Postecoglou‘s top performers as he has settled in quickly and formed a strong partnership with Cristian Romero.

With the help of former director Fabio Paratici (who is still advising Tottenham while he serves his football ban), the Premier League outfit have done some great business in recent windows and they have emerged as a credible candidate for the Champions League places this season.

Van de Ven is already under contract until 2029 but Stan Collymore has encouraged Daniel Levy to negotiate a new deal to fend off potential interest from Man City and Real Madrid.

“I think Spurs’ only concern will be keeping hold of him long-term,” Collymore told Caught Offside.

“I really wouldn’t be surprised if Real Madrid or Manchester City come in for him in a season or two — they’ve both probably already got their eye on him.

“Daniel Levy should already be preparing a new contract for him; one that includes a clause to prevent the club from losing a player that looks like becoming their most valuable asset.”

Collymore thinks Van de Ven could end up being “one of the signings of the season” as Postecoglou “could not play the way he likes” without the Dutchman.

“All the talk around him at the moment is about his speed across the ground after he became the fastest-ever player to play in the Premier League after being clocked at 37.38km/h against Brentford last month — he’s crazy fast!” Collymore added.

“[…] But pace aside, Van de Ven looks like a top-quality signing. Fair play to Spurs’ recruitment department because even though he missed a chunk of the season out injured, he looks like he is going to be one of the signings of the season.”

He continued: “He has excellent positional awareness and looks to be a solid leader who communicates and organises his backline.

“There is no doubt about it, without van de Ven, Ange Postecoglou could not play the way he likes.

“The high defensive line would not work if he didn’t have a player capable of making such good recovery runs and tackles as van de Ven, so his acquisition alone has transformed a huge part of the way Spurs play.”