Few Premier League players have proven to be better value signings than Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen over the past decade.
Snapped up from Ajax for £10.5m in 2012, Vertonghen has gone on to make over 300 appearances for the club, helping to establish them as a top-four Premier League side in that time.
The long-serving Belgian’s contract is up at the end of the season, though, and as yet, no terms have been agreed to extend his stay. The transfer rumour mill went further into overdrive when Vertonghen was pictured looking crestfallen on the bench after being subbed off against Southampton in February.
Although Spurs are reasonably well-stocked for central defenders with Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga all at the club, the team has badly struggled in that area of the pitch all season.
If Vertonghen does move on, Jose Mourinho will be after a replacement.
Ruben Dias
Age: 22
Club: Benfica
Nationality: Portugal
Could Ruben Dias be to Mourinho in 2020 what Ricardo Carvalho was in 2005? The Benfica defender has emerged at just the right time as far as Portugal are concerned with three of their options in that position all in their late 30s.
Dias has already racked up considerable experience having surpassed a century of appearances for Benfica and has plenty of scope for improvement at his age. Good with the ball at his feet and powerful in the air, Dias is exactly the kind of defender Mourinho craves.
Nathan Ake
Age: 25
Club: Bournemouth
Nationality: Netherlands
Arguably the most like-for-like Vertonghen replacement out there, Nathan Ake is naturally left-sided, extremely adept at bringing the ball into midfield from the back and is a precise passer as shown by his 88% pass accuracy rate in 2019-20..
During what has been a season of strife for Bournemouth near the foot of the Premier League table, Ake has stood out like a sore thumb at times. It is a matter of when and not if he joins a club with loftier ambitions than the Cherries.
Ben Godfrey
Age: 21
Club: Norwich
Nationality: England
Should the Canaries fail in their quest to survive the drop down to the Championship, they will surely find it difficult to hold on to a number of their star players, including defensive midfielder turned centre back, Ben Godfrey.
Arguably the man of the match during Norwich’s FA Cup win against Spurs this month, Godfrey excels as a ball-playing centre-back courtesy of his dribbling and passing skills but is equally solid as a defender. He ranks sixth in the Premier League for shots blocked (26) this season.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Age: 22
Club: Lille
Nationality: Brazil
There was reported interest for Gabriel Magalhaes during the January transfer window with Everton and Arsenal mooted as potential suitors but Lille managed to hang on to the Brazilian they signed from Avai FC in 2017.
The 22-year-old has formed an impressive partnership alongside the veteran Jose Fonte this season, completing 82 percent of his passes and ranking top amongst Lille’s squad for shots blocked with 18. He like Ake, also comes with the added bonus of being left-footed.
