Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Tottenham omit Eric Dier from squad after defender tells them he wants Bayern Munich move
Eric Dier has made it clear to Tottenham Hotspur that he wants to leave them in order to join Bayern Munich.
There is no Dier in the matchday squad for Tottenham tonight as they take on Burnley in the FA Cup. It comes amid a day of intense speculation about an exit for Bayern, six months before the end of his contract.
It now seems Dier has played his last game for the club as a move to the Bundesliga, where he will reunite with Harry Kane, nears completion.
TEAMtalk understands that Dier has told Tottenham he wants to join Bayern. Indeed, Sky Sports Deutschland and Fabrizio Romano have confirmed the defender has agreed personal terms with the Bundesliga champions.
Bayern are believed to be finalising their decision about Dier, but the curtains could be about to come down on his nine-and-a-half-year spell with Spurs.
Tottenham do not have any problems with Dier’s decision, since they have given the green light for him to join Bayern.
According to Sky, Bayern will pay Tottenham no more than €5m (£4.3m) for Dier, who has held talks with their head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel plans to depend on Dier either as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, making use of his versatility and experience.
Bayern to give Dier 18-month contract
Dier’s contract in Munich would last until 2025 initially, it is believed.
Should the move be completed, Dier would get to play for a foreign club for the second time in his career after his previous experience of Portuguese football with Sporting.
In the time between with Tottenham, Dier – who is 10 days away from his 30th birthday – has made 364 appearances.
This season, though, Ange Postecoglou has been reluctant to use him, offering just four appearances to the man with 49 England caps.
It looks as if the eight-minute cameo Dier earned on New Year’s Eve against Bournemouth will mark the conclusion of his Tottenham – and potentially Premier League – career.
For Friday’s cup tie, Postecoglou has instead picked Emerson Royal and Ben Davies as centre-backs, with Van de Ven back on the bench alongside youngsters Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington.
Once Dier is out of the door, further investment could follow in Tottenham’s backline. In that regard, they are still confident of beating Napoli to the signing of Genoa defender Radu Dragusin.