Vertonghen still open to new Spurs contract

Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen is still open to discussions about a new contract with the club, according to Sky Sports.

The versatile defender, a natural centre-back capable of performing well as a left-back, as well as a defensive midfielder if need be, has been the subject of interest from both AS Roma and Bayer Leverkusen lately. Despite entering the final 12 months of his existing contract, he was told he would not be allowed to leave the club during the summer. He will be free to talk to clubs outside England come January, but he was keen to discuss an extension under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, and that remains the case now that Jose Mourinho has taken the steering wheel.

His stance doesn’t come as a surprise, given that he was quite clear about being happy in North London in September.

There were some reports linking Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake with Spurs as a possible replacement for the 32-year-old Belgian, but it seems there won’t be any need for that, providing Mourinho wants Vertonghen to stick around beyond next summer.