How Much Is Tottenham's Christian Eriksen Worth in the Current Transfer Market?

Danish midfield star Christian Eriksen has long been considered one of the rising stars of European football.

His remarkable achievements, including playing a leading role at a World Cup at just 18 and helping European giants Ajax to three consecutive Eredivisie titles, generated a huge amount of hype. 

His starring role for Denmark against Jack Wilshere's England in 2011 seemed to confirm that the buzz was justified.

Not until his move to the Premier League with Spurs in 2013, though, did he become a household name. 

He is one of Spurs' three most important players, and they have no interest in selling him. Despite that, a player of his talent playing outside the Champions League is rare, and many of Europe's biggest cubs have cast an eye over the little Dane.

Gareth Bale, Luke Modric, Dimitar Berbatov and more can tell you that even if Spurs are unmotivated sellers, money can force a move. 

The question is what would Eriksen be worth in today's transfer market. 

He joined Ajax at 18 for around €1 million, and Spurs spent £11 million to acquire him three years later. 

Player transfers involve significant negotiation, so speculation is difficult.

However, there are some tools available to at least provide an educated guess.  

Transfermarkt values Eriksen at €27 million. It determines values by statistical analysis as well as transfers of similar players and any previous moves in a player's career.   

By its metric, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is worth €40 million and was valued at €50 million when he joined from Real Madrid.

This CIES Football Observatory study (from January) rates Eriksen as the 29th-most valuable player in world football. It places his value at €36 million, level with Ozil. 

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

When a player's contract runs down, this can influence potential transfer fees. This was the case with Eriksen's move from Ajax and helps to explain how Spurs were able to bring in such a talented player for a seemingly low fee. 

It is not the case with Eriksen's contract at Spurs. Although he is yet to sign a contract extension since joining the club, his current deal runs until 2018, which removes any motivation Spurs might have to sell on that basis. 

They also plan to extend double his wages, according to David Kidd of The Daily Mirror, in order to stave off the attention of European suitors. 

Another wrinkle to determining Eriksen's value is his virtually unmatched ability from free-kicks. The Telegraph rates him as the sixth-best free-kick taker in Premier League history. He admitted as much to the club's website (h/t HITC Sport).

The value of that additional skill, on top of his other qualities, is significant. 

Ultimately, a player is only worth what the buying club is willing to pay, and so December's rumoured Liverpool bid is instructive. Danish newspaper BT (via Metro) suggested in December that the Merseyside giants would approach Spurs with an offer of £32 million. 

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is regarded as one of the best negotiators in world football and has consistently proved his ability to extract inflated transfer fees for his best players. If he were willing to enter discussions over the sale of Eriksen, it is reasonable to assume that he would be able to force the buying club to once again overpay.

Statistical analyses suggest that Eriksen is roughly valued at €35-40 million (up to £30 million). Liverpool's reported willingness to match the £32 million bid suggests those approximations of his market value are broadly accurate. 

However, Eriksen's contract situation and Spurs' unwillingness to sell suggest it would require a significant amount on top of his market value to convince them to sell.

His position as one of the Premier League's most prolific midfielders and deadly set-piece takers means it would likely require in excess of £40 million to acquire his services this summer. 

In all likelihood, though, Spurs would not listen to any offers below £50 million given their absolute lack of interest in selling Eriksen.