Chelsea have made a shock enquiry for unsettled Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld, reports the London Evening Standard.
Antonio Conte’s side are expected to lavish in excess of £100m in the last two weeks of the transfer window and are now interested in completing a stunning deal for Alderweireld.
The Belgium international has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League since joining Tottenham in 2015, but the 28-year-old wants a new contract to align him with the club’s current top earners.
Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane are currently the club’s best paid players on around £100,000-a-week, while Alderweireld earns half that much despite being one of the Mauricio Pochettino’s best players.
Alerted to the fact Alderweireld is perhaps unsettled, Chelsea have put initial sounders out to find out whether there is potential to complete a stunning swoop for the central defender, although Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk remains their first choice target in any case.
Since August 2015, Alderweireld has completed the most accurate long balls of outfielders in the Premier League.
