Tottenham have no intention of selling Micky van de Ven, unless a club meets their eye-watering asking price for the defender.
The 24-year-old joined Spurs from Wolfsburg in 2023 for an initial £34.5m, with a total fee of £43m possible with add-ons.
The Netherlands international has been a key figure for the north London side since then and would have made more than the 80 appearances he has done but for injury issues.
The rapid centre-back has been hampered by hamstring problems, but has stayed fit this season, making 29 appearances in all competitions so far.
As Spurs continue to struggle in the Premier League under Thomas Frank, the defender’s reputation is clearly not being damaged.
The Daily Mail report that Liverpool are ‘developing a keen interest’ in Van de Ven and could make a move for him in the summer.
The Dutchman’s contract at Spurs runs until 2029, so they are not under pressure to sell the giant centre-back and have priced him accordingly.
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TalkSPORT report that Tottenham have set Van de Ven’s value at £100m, meaning any interested party would have to make him the most expensive defender in history if they want to buy him.
While Liverpool will be ready to spend again in the summer, they may well be put off by that huge figure, especially as they forked out a record £446m in the 2025 summer transfer window.
Konate’s future up in the air
The Reds will be looking to sign a centre-back, though, whether it is Van de Ven or not, having narrowly missed out on Marc Guehi last year and with Ibrahima Konate’s future uncertain.
The France international is out of contract at the end of the season and there has been no news on him signing a new deal.
Speaking in November, Konate said: ‘I’ve seen a lot of things in the press recently, like Liverpool have made me a new offer.
‘I don’t know where that’s coming from. My agents are continuing discussions with Liverpool. I hope my decision will be made very soon so I can announce it.’
The 26-year-old has been linked with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain who could snap him up on a free transfer this year.
Konate was not involved in Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Marseille in the Champions League this week, but that was due to family reasons.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Reds boss Arne Slot said: ‘First of all for the family matter, why he is not here, it is very sad for him. Second of all, we miss him because I mainly played him.
‘Joe [Gomez] is a good replacement but not played much in the one-and-a-half year that I have been here, for obvious reasons.
‘But it’s a great game for him, he’s not played a lot. He has showed that he can build a great partnership with Virgil, winning the Premier League under Jurgen five years ago now. He’s shown he can be a really good player for us.’
