Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Tottenham transfer news: Owen Wijndal talks begin with triple arrival to spark positional clear-out

AZ Alkmaar defender Owen Wijndal

Four Tottenham stars could be at risk after talks were reportedly opened for AZ Alkmaar’s assist king, Owen Wijndal, who holds a bargain release clause.

Spurs have wasted little time beefing up their squad this summer. Fraser Forster has arrived to replace Pierluigi Gollini as Hugo Lloris’ chief back-up. Ivan Perisic has also reunited with Antonio Conte and is expected to be deployed at left wing-back.

Elsewhere, Sky Sports recently reported Tottenham are close to forging an agreement for Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence. The 21-year-old is also a wing-back and would provide competition for the right-sided options.

If signed, Conte would have new resources in the position on both flanks. But according to French outlet FootMercato, Spurs’ business at wing-back won’t stop there.

They report Tottenham have opened talks with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar regarding Owen Wijndal.

The 22-year-old left wing-back has been a regular at the Eredivisie side over the three seasons and racked up gaudy numbers last term.

Wijndal provided 12 assists across all competitions with 10 coming in just 31 outings in the league. His exploits have seen him become a regular in the Netherlands national team squads since making his senior debut in 2020.

Napoli, Juventus and Lyon are claimed to be monitoring his progression. However, it’s apparently Spurs who have made the first move.

Owen Wijndal release clause revealed

The Express add their take to the story when citing a Dutch report in May. It was claimed Wijndal holds a release clause worth around £8.5m.

That could be too good to turn down for Conte, though Wijndal’s arrival may spark a raft of exits.

Indeed, if both he and Spence arrived, Conte would have seven bona fide options at wing-back following Perisic’s signing.

Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal comprise the other options on the right, while Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon round out the list on the left.

Which players would Tottenham axe?

All four of Spurs’ wing-backs last season were given ample opportunity to prove themselves. The one who struggled the most was Emerson Royal.

He could be at the greatest risk if a Spence deal is wrapped up. On the left side, the situation could be more complex.

Reguilon showed glimpses of the threat he could be, though was left on the bench almost as many times as he started post-Christmas.

Real Madrid reportedly inserted a buy-back clause into his sale that can be triggered this summer.

Football London stated Real can re-sign the Spaniard in either the summer of 2021 or 2022 for around £28m. This summer therefore presents the final chance for Real to pounce.

Should Carlo Ancelotti’s side take up the option, a move for Wijndal would take on greater importance. Indeed, at 33, Perisic is merely a short-term fix.

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