Vertonghen keeping counsel over Spurs contract situation

Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen refused to be drawn on his contract negotiations ahead of Spurs’ Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

The Belgium international, 32, is in the final year of his deal and was absent from the line-up early in the season as rumours lingered of a move overseas.

Vertonghen said: “I would prefer not to go too deep into that but there is always some movement.

“I am very ambitious, I feel like I have a couple of good years left in me. I hope I can help the team.

“It is my eighth season here, I have had a great past and I am feeling great in every single way here, that is all I want to say on that.”

Vertonghen also played down rumours of dressing room unrest, with the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen also the subjects of recurring transfer speculation while manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke last week of having “an unsettled squad” with “different agendas”.

Vertonghen, who helped 10-man Spurs beat Southampton 2-1 at the weekend, said: “I am not going too much into that, the mood at this point is good.

“It was a good win on Saturday, we showed who we really are.”

Pochettino insisted Vertonghen remains an “important” figure for Spurs.

“I am open to everything, but that is a dealing between the club, him and his agent. Let’s see what happens,” he said of the contract negotiations.

“Jan is always an important part of my project. That feeling isn’t going to change.”