Tottenham are aware of reported interest in one of their stars, labelled one of the ‘best’ in Europe, and have therefore protected him with a €100million price tag.
Spurs are in a far better spot this season than where they finished in the last. Indeed, they find themselves third in the Premier League – 14 places better than their 17th-placed finish last term.
New signings have helped, with Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha particularly effective, but of late, centre-back Micky van de Ven has been one of the standout players.
Per SofaScore, he averaged a 7.2 rating in September and that’s increased to 7.3 in October, helped by a 9.2 match rating in the 3-0 victory over Everton, in which he scored a first-half brace.
According to Fichajes, he is now one of the ‘most coveted players’ in Europe, and is named as one of the ‘best’ young centre-backs on the continent.
They state Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are all considering the Tottenham centre-back.
As a result, Spurs are said to have slapped a €100million (£87.3m) valuation on Van de Ven.
They are said to feel it will take a ‘massive offer’ for the Dutchman to be sold, and they are looking to protect their investment, preparing for possible enquiries but hoping to convince him to stay.
DON’T MISS: ⚪️ Ranking FIVE dazzling Tottenham left wing January targets: Dream signing to Brazilian sensation
Real Madrid links confirmed
In September, TEAMtalk insider Dean Jones confirmed interest from Real in Van de Ven.
He said: “I was told [Ibrahima] Konate was the one they have considered most likely but clearly they have eyes on other players too. It is interesting that they are also now being linked with Micky van de Ven because I have heard that this might be a situation to watch across this season.
“At this stage I don’t believe there is any contact involved or anything like that, but Madrid want to turn people’s heads and if Van de Ven looks to raise his profile from Spurs then it is feasible he would see Madrid as a potential place to move to.
“I think he has been a player of interest to them for quite a while so we will have to wait and see if they make the jump to a more active pursuit.”
While the Real links are genuine, that does not mean Tottenham have necessarily places such a large figure on Van de Ven’s head.
Yes, they will want to keep him from other big clubs, but Fichajes is not the most genuine of sources, so it is perhaps not a report to be taken as gospel.
Tottenham round-up: Fellow Spurs man wants Real
One Tottenham man does want a Real Madrid transfer: Luka Vuskovic, who is yet to play for Spurs and is currently out on loan with Hamburg.
“Well… Real Madrid is Real Madrid, but every club you play for is an honour and a privilege. I don’t have a special club other than Hajduk,” he said.
Meanwhile, TEAMtalk is aware Tottenham are among the clubs interested in bringing Mason Greenwood back to England.
And with Thomas Frank reportedly not fancying Spurs striker Dominic Solanke, Fabio Paratici is said to be looking into the signing of Porto striker Samu Aghehowa.