Tottenham could finally have a route to solving their huge midfield issues, but it may require selling Micky van de Ven. The Netherlands international put pen-to-paper on a six-year contract in 2023 when he arrived at Spurs from Wolfsburg for £43million, with the club now seeking double that figure should they part ways with him.
Reports have claimed that Tottenham have placed a £100million valuation on his head, with Thomas Frank recently addressing whether the club can satisfy his aspirations.
He said: "I just saw Micky today, he seems very happy, smiling. He was very happy after the game that we won when he was in the changing room after the game."
"I think Micky is an excellent player. I think he's a fantastic ambassador for this club. I think he has potentially his best season so far he's had.
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"He's fit, he's strong, good defensively, he's growing as a leader and is scoring goals as well. He's a very important player for us this season and for the future."
Spurs have been notably active in January's window, having offloaded Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace, before subsequently bringing in Brazilian left-back Souza and Conor Gallagher.
Even after signing the latter, Tottenham are in desperate need of a progressive passer in midfield with Liverpool's Curtis Jones emerging as a player of interest, according to The Times.
The 24-year-old's current deal runs until the summer of 2027, with a decision required ahead of next season to prevent losing another key player on a free.
Liverpool are unlikely to entertain selling Jones, at least at this stage, but considering Tottenham's interest and their requirement for defensive depth - with van de Ven presumably high up on their wish-list - then a swap arrangement could emerge, particularly as there appears to be an established dialogue between the two clubswith discussions ongoing regarding Andy Robertson.
However, Slot has praised Jones over recent weeks, with the England international amongst the few consistent performers for Liverpool this term.
He stated earlier this month: "One of the main qualities he has is that he always wants to have the ball, no matter the situation, 99 times out of 100 that is very positive.
"Sometimes it is smarter to stay away or not go to a difficult situation, but if he had one in the corner he is able to bring himself out of the situation and play the ball.
"The most positive thing for him is that he is able to stay fit for four or five games in a row, now, 90 minutes every time."
Jurgen Klopp was equally enthusiastic about Jones, something made abundantly clear early in his Liverpool journey when he netted twice in a 7-2 Carabao Cup triumph over Lincoln.
The former Liverpool head coach said: "First half really good, start of the second half really good. There is still space for improvement, but everyone knows my opinion of Curtis Jones - he is an exceptional talent and we will have some fun with him I am pretty sure in the future.
"Both goals were difficult. The second one the first touch was absolutely exceptional between two opponents and then he opens up and sees the opportunity and he finishes it off."
