Unlike Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen has yet to extend his contract at Tottenham and is, for now, expected to leave the club on a free at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
Similarly to the situation previously surrounding his compatriot, this has caused a number of clubs to be interested in his services for next season, including one of his former sides, Ajax Amsterdam.
Currently leading the Eredivisie by three points, Erik ten Hag’s side are relatively set in the centre-back position these days after buying Kik Pierie, Edson Álvarez and Lisandro Martínez over the summer, and yet there is an interest in Vertonghen’s services.
How do we know? Because their manager made it very clear on Sunday night, speaking on the TV channel Ziggo, relayed by Voetbal International.
He said: “Jan has a history at Ajax. Of course we are following his situation very closely, but you also have to look at the position in which someone plays. If that comes together, the availability and the position in which he plays, then he is an option”.
ten Hag was then asked about the 32-year-old’s advancing years, but he quickly dismissed that as a problem.
He continued: “There is no question of any age limit here. If someone is good enough, it doesn’t matter how old he is”.
After all, Ajax have never been afraid to bring back former students of theirs despite their veteran statuses.
Taking a look at the current squad, if Vertonghen were to return to Amsterdam next year, he would join the likes of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Ryan Babel (albeit on loan) in making a comeback despite being in their thirties.
Interestingly, this all comes a few days after the Belgian’s agent said his client was ‘very happy at Tottenham’.
It seems we’ll now have to wait and see what Vertonghen’s heart wants in coming months.
