This week, reports emerged that Liverpool has growing interest in Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven. With Virgil van Dijk entering the final 18 months of his contract and Ibrahima Konate stalling on extension talks, it’s a no brainer that the club would be looking at targets like Van de Ven.
Tottenham’s position has been significantly weakened by van de Ven’s reported refusal to engage in contract extension discussions, despite the club’s attempts to secure his long-term future.
However, his current deal only expires in 2029, meaning the North London club feel like they hold the cards. And it seems that Thomas Frank’s side are willing to play hardball.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Spurs will demand a British record fee for their defensive stalwart. Jacobs said via GIVEMESPORT:
“I’m told at this stage that Tottenham Hotspur value Micky van de Ven as not just a record defender sale but as a British transfer record fee, even though this summer he’ll only have two years left on his current deal.”
“Nothing is going to happen now Micky van de Ven will wait, see where Tottenham are at in the summer and understand what kind of interest he has. Of course Tottenham want to try and get him to sign a contract extension.”
Of course, Reds fans will be familiar with the current British record transfer fee, which was £125 million paid by Liverpool to sign Alexander Isak last summer. This means that Spurs want £125 million + for the Dutch international – an absurd fee if reports are to be believed.
According to Transfermarkt, van de Ven has missed 46 matches through injury since joining Spurs in 2023, which is worrying to say the least. For a club that has already seen Joe Gomez’s progress interrupted by repeated setbacks and watched Joel Matip battle availability issues in his final seasons, this ought to be treated as a glaring warning sign.
Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.