Man Utd have serious rivals for Toby Alderweireld in January

Toby Alderweireld TEAMtalk

Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld in the January transfer window.

The Daily Mirror claim Barca want a new centre-back and have turned to the Belgium star after discovering that a deal for Ajax man Matthijs de Ligt is out of reach in the next window.

Alderweireld’s existing deal at Spurs expires in the summer, but the club have the option to trigger a one-year extension, although that trigger a £25million release clause active in the final two weeks of the summer window.

The 29-year-old was expected to move on in the summer after a season which was disrupted by a hamstring problem. Manchester United were serious contenders for his signature, but Sky sources claimed United failed to agree terms with Tottenham for the transfer.

Alderweireld though been integral to Spurs this term has played nine times and last week claimed he was happy, despite no breakthrough in his contract discussions.

Alderweireld told Sky Sports News: “I’m the old Toby again. I try to do my best and help the team.

“How happy am I on a scale of one to 10? When you have a daughter it’s 10 out of 10. It doesn’t matter what happens. The joy that I get from that, I try to give it to my football.”

Alderweireld says he had “tunnel vision” during all the summer speculation and remained focused on Spurs.

However, when asked whether there is an update on a new contract, he said: “Not that I can say, no. I’m focused on Spurs and trying to help the team. That’s all I can do.”