Daniel Levy determined to sell Tottenham star in January, with three potential replacements identified
Eric Dier reportedly ‘wants to quit’ Tottenham Hotspur in January, which will almost definitely force Ange Postecoglou into signing a new centre-back.
The 29-year-old did not feature in Spurs’ first 10 Premier League matches this season after falling behind Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero in the pecking order.
With Van de Ven out for several months with a hamstring injury, however, Postecoglou has been forced to bring Dier back into the fold.
He has started Tottenham’s last two league matches – a 4-1 defeat against Chelsea and a 2-1 loss against Wolves.
Despite this, reports suggest that Dier – whose contract will expire at the end of the season – is determined to leave Spurs to pursue a new challenge elsewhere.
Football Insider claim that the defender intends to run down his deal before leaving as a free agent next summer.
Doing so would give Dier a broader option of clubs to choose from. Free agents are also often able to secure a more lucrative contract given their new club aren’t paying a transfer fee.
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According to The Mirror, however, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy does not want to lose a saleable asset for nothing and will attempt to find a buyer for Dier in January.
Bayern Munich, Juventus and Roma have all registered an interest in signing the England international.
As a result of his contract situation, Dier will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January 1, ahead of a free transfer at the end of the season.
Tottenham will hope that the level if interest in the centre-back will spark a bidding war for his services this winter.
Reports suggest that Spurs will not sell Dier until they have signed a replacement, though, and have identified a number of options on that front.
One defender linked with a move to Tottenham is Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly. Liverpool are also keen on the 25-year-old, who is valued at around £25m.
They have also been linked with Galatasaray’s Victor Nelsson for some time, and Genoa centre-back Ragu Dragsusin is another name of Postecoglou’s shortlist.
With that in mind, Tottenham will do everything they can to sell Dier in January, but will only let him leave once they have brought in a suitable replacement.
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