As speculation mounts surrounding Hugo Lloris' possible departure from Tottenham, team-mate Jan Vertonghen says the club have to keep hold of the goalkeeper.
Lloris was one of Spurs' outstanding performers last season, and his performances have seen him linked with a move away from White Hart Lane.
Manchester United are rumoured to be interested, and may see Lloris as a replacement for David de Gea, should the Spaniard depart for Real Madrid.
But Vertonghen, whose Belgium side take on Lloris' France in a friendly on Sunday, says Tottenham must keep their top performers to show ambition.
"He's a great guy, great captain, great goalkeeper and a brilliant player for us," he told Sky Sports.
"He's the captain, very important and this season he was one of our best players.
"He's been outstanding for us and if you want to continue growing as a club you have to keep your best players and Hugo is one of them.
"I hope Tottenham can keep him. It will be a sign for everyone next year that we want to compete in the Premier League.
"We ended the season well in the last two games and we didn't expect to finish fifth. Hopefully we can continue to push for fourth. We've got four big teams ahead of us at the moment but we have to find a way to beat them."
