Alderweireld alert for Spurs

TOTTENHAM are refusing to relax their wage structure as fears over the future of key defender Toby Alderweireld grow. The central defender’s importance to Mauricio Pochettino’s side has been underlined in his absence with a hamstring injury, with Spurs registering one Premier League win in four games. And concerns are growing that Tottenham could be forced to sell Alderweireld this summer with talks over a new deal at a deadlock. The former Atletico Madrid defender earns £50,000-perweek, which is on the low side for a player of his quality. At 28, Alderweireld knows this could be his last big contract and is looking for more than Spurs’ £110,000-a-week ceiling. Spurs are unwilling to meet his demands but still hope to make a breakthrough before the summer. The impasse poses a delicate problem, as Alderweireld’s current deal expires in the summer of 2019. Chairman Daniel Levy does not usually allow players to enter the final two years of their contracts.