Barcelona are monitoring Toby Alderweireld’s future at Tottenham with a view to making a summer move for the Premier League defender, claims The Independent.

Alderweireld looks destined to leave Tottenham at the end of the season after contract extension talks collapsed earlier this month.

The 28-year-old’s current deal is due to expire in 2019 but Tottenham have a clause to extend his stay by a further 12 months if no new deal is agreed before then.

However, by doing so Tottenham will also activate a £25m release clause in the summer of 2019 up until the final 14 days of the transfer window.

If Tottenham fail to convince Alderweireld to lower his £150,000-a-week wage demands then Mauricio Pochettino’s side will almost certainly have to sell the Belgium international at the end of the season.

Manchester United are interested in signing Alderweireld but now face competition from Barcelona, who Tottenham would prefer to deal with.

Pochettino’s side would rather sell one of their better players abroad then strengthen a direct Premier League rival, but it remains to be seen whether Barcelona would be prepared to pay as much as Jose Mourinho’s side.

Selling the former Ajax defender would have seemed unthinkable at the start of the season, but Tottenham managed fine during Alderweireld’s three-month injury absence.

Nevertheless, no Premier League outfielder averages more accurate long balls per game than the Tottenham No.4 (9.1).

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