Agent: Vertonghen close to Spurs switch
Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen could complete his protracted move to Tottenham Hotspur this week, according to the player's agent.
The two clubs have yet to agree a fee for the defender, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy reluctant to pay the Dutch side’s asking price with the 25-year-old set to enter the final year of his contract.
A deal has been in the offing for some time, with the Belgium international keen on a move to White Hart Lane.
And Vertonghen’s agent, Mustapha Nakhli, claims the defender is just waiting for the two clubs to agree on a fee before finalising the move to the North London side.
"Jan [Vertonghen] is just waiting for now," Nakhli told Voetbal International. "We'll travel to Tottenham once they've reached an agreement. It won't take much time to make an appointment. I hope that we can complete the deal this week. I think that's going to happen."
Nakhli also revealed he is worried that the Eredivisie champions are demanding too much money for the player’s services, adding:
"Ajax is asking way too much for a player who has a contract until 2013. Fifteen million [euros]? What do you think yourself?"
The player's representative added the young Ajax star has his heart set on a move to Spurs, despite reports suggesting rivals Arsenal could be prepared to move for Vertonghen should any deal fall through.
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He continued: "Both clubs [Tottenham and Ajax] are close to a deal, but there is still some difference between them. Tottenham is the only club we are interested in. Jan sees great opportunities in London at Spurs, so we don't look at other clubs."
Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.
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