Tottenham Transfer News: Toby Alderweireld Talks Up Potential Return to Ajax

Toby Alderweireld said he would be willing to return to former club Ajax before his career finishes. The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back talked up his old team to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (h/t Sky Sports News): "Never say never. At this moment in my career, I don't think about that yet."

Alderweireld reminisced about Ajax amid speculation about his future. He is out of contract with Spurs at the end of the season, although the north London club has the option to extend the Belgium international's deal for another year.

The prolonged terms would include a release clause worth £25 million, though.

Whether Alderweireld, who won three Eredivisie titles and a KNVB Cup with Ajax, will move on before an extension can be triggered is uncertain, but the 29-year-old made it clear he would enjoy a second spell in Amsterdam.

VI-Images/Getty Images

"Of course it is close to home in Belgium, and I have a bond with the club, because I played football at Ajax for eight years, achieving championships, the third star, experience," he said.

Alderweireld's departure would create a significant hole at the heart of the Tottenham defence. He's been the rock of a unit carefully constructed by manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino has relied on Alderweireld because the latter is a complete defender. He can boss strikers in the air, is quick and alert on the deck and is able to play out from the back.

Those skills mean Alderweireld has attracted interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs. La Liga giants Barcelona are the latest to be linked, per the Daily Mirror's Darren Lewis, who also named Premier League rivals Manchester United as a potential suitor during the January transfer window.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Interest from clubs on this scale has reportedly prompted Spurs to consider potential replacements. Sampdoria's £25 million-rated Joachim Andersen is chief among those options, according to Jake Lambourne of the Sun.

Spurs can also still lean on Alderweireld's international team-mate, 31-year-old Jan Vertonghen. Meanwhile, Davinson Sanchez is improving with every game during his second season in England's top flight.

It's difficult to believe Ajax could compete with either Barca or United if a bidding war for Alderweireld ensued. What's more likely is the skilled defender gets one more big move before seeing out his playing days back at the Johan Cruijff Arena.