Tottenham could face a battle to keep star defender Micky van de Ven this summer. Spanish media reports suggest the player is “eager to leave” the north London club.
Barcelona are reportedly looking to sign a high-profile defensive player. Catalan daily Sport has named Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni as their main target, but they are also keeping an eye on Crystal Palace’s Marc Gehi and Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck. However, Barcelona are reluctant to meet Inter’s offer of £69 million for Bastoni. This has led to Van de Ven being considered, with newspaper Sport reporting that the Dutchman wants to leave Spurs this summer. Interestingly, the same report suggests that Van de Ven “would be happy to wear Barça colours”. Rumors that the Dutch international wants to leave Tottenham appear to be unfounded and suggest there may be some strings being pulled behind the scenes.
Van de Ven’s tenure at Spurs has not been the string of successes some had hoped for, but it has not been a failure. After joining from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £34.5m, the Dutchman quickly established himself as a central defender.
Van de Ven, who recently clashed with Spurs fans after the defeat against Bournemouth, was named Tottenham’s player of the year on his debut for England. He then played a key role in helping the club reach Europa League glory in his second season.
Thomas Frank’s side continue to underperform in the Premier League and have already been eliminated from the League Cup. However, they have shown potential in Europe and are in contention for automatic qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League, currently sitting above Barça in the group standings.
Although Tottenham’s defensive record hasn’t been the best, the centre-back duo of Van de Ven and Cristian Romero have won a lot of praise. However, if giants like Barcelona show interest, Spurs could find it difficult to maintain the focus of Van de Ven, who has previously been linked with Real Madrid.
However, there is little evidence that the player is actively pursuing a move, especially not this early this summer. The 24-year-old’s contract runs until the summer of 2028, meaning Tottenham will not be under immediate pressure to sell unless he requests a move.
There is also the question of whether Barcelona can afford the transfer fee. Van de Ven may have joined Spurs for just under £40 million, but there is no doubt the north London club would demand a significantly higher fee to part ways with him now.
Questions may also arise as to whether Barcelona can afford such a deal as they continue their expensive renovation of Camp Nou. The club’s financial situation has been a hot topic of discussion in recent years, and signing Van de Ven could potentially push the club’s budget even further than expected.
The appeal of a tall, powerful, left-footed defender who has consistently topped the Premier League’s speed charts is obvious. However, reports in the Spanish media that Van de Ven is keen to move to Catalonia may not be as simple as it seems.
