Liverpool tipped to sign Tottenham star ‘on the cheap’ if Spurs are relegated

Liverpool have been tipped to raid Tottenham for one of their best players if Spurs are relegated from the Premier League.

Tottenham are just 16th in the table ahead of Sunday’s clash against Liverpool at Anfield, one point above the dreaded drop zone.

Spurs have underwhelmed all season and the team’s dismal form cost Thomas Frank his job after just eight months in charge.

Igor Tudor was appointed as Tottenham interim manager until the end of the season but the north London side have lost four successive games since the Croatian took over.

Spurs’ embarrassing season reached its nadir on Wednesday night as they suffered a 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie.

Atletico were 3-0 up inside 15 minutes and Antonin Kinsky, who started ahead of No. 1 Guglielmo Vicario, was then hooked by manager Tudor.

Now all but out of the Champions League, Tottenham can focus their efforts on avoiding relegation to the Championship with nine league games remaining.

Dropping down a division would not only be humiliating for Spurs, who were competing in a Champions League final not so long ago, and a huge blow financially, but would lead to a mass exodus of talent.

Micky van de Ven would be one of the more obvious departees given his status as one of the best defenders in Europe and Jason McAteer believes his former club Liverpool could sign him on the cheap.

Van de Ven, who joined Spurs in 2023 in a £43m move from Wolfsburg, has been tentatively linked with a move to Anfield given Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements.

The reigning Premier League champions came agonisingly close to signing Marc Guehi last summer and then saw the former Crystal Palace captain complete a January move to Manchester City.

Asked whether he can see Liverpool making a move for Van de Ven, McAteer said on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast: ‘It looks that way.

‘They missed out on Marc Guehi in the summer, and I was a little bit surprised that they let it go to the winter window to try and do the business.

‘You always bring competition in then; other teams are looking for players in that position, and City have got there before Liverpool. I think they missed out on one there.

‘Leoni came in at the start of the season; obviously, he picked up the really bad injury, which has set him back, and we brought in Jacquet as well.

‘I know he’s not coming until next season, but he is quality, and they have spent a lot of money on him. He will be looking at playing in the team, but they do need another centre-half.

‘There are a couple out there, but Micky van de Ven seems to be [on the market].

‘It will be interesting to see how it develops at Tottenham because if they do go down, they will be looking to offload players, and Liverpool might nick him for a little bit cheaper.’

Ex-Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood also believes Van de Ven would be a suitable target for Liverpool.

‘I think he’s the obvious choice on that left side, there aren’t many of those about,’ he added.

‘There is one other, Jarrad Branthwaite, but he ain’t going to Liverpool, so it opens up the door there for Micky to go in there as a Liverpool player.

‘I think he’d do well for them, I really do; he’s got all the attributes to be a top-drawer player.

‘I don’t think he’s the finished article; he still needs to develop, but he needs to play with someone like Virgil van Dijk.

‘Those experienced, good players he can look up to because he’s not the leader we think he is at the moment, and I think he needs to be shown how to lead.

‘It’s a learning curve, and he’s still learning, but it’s a good option.’

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