Vertonghen still keen on Spurs switch

Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen insists he is still keen to join Tottenham next season despite their failure to secure Champions League football.

The highly-rated 25-year-old has long been linked with a move to north London, with Arsenal also thought to have previously been interested.

And although Chelsea’s win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final cost Spurs their place in Europe’s top competition next season, the Belgian says he ranks the White Hart Lane outfit as his ‘preferred option’.

“I never said that I will only leave Ajax for Tottenham. I only said that they are my preferred option,” he told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwesblad.

“I have a good feeling with the club and that matters to me. They have already invited me and want to wrap this up shortly.

“Tottenham missing out on the Champions League doesn’t play a role in my decision, but it could have consequences for their transfer budget.

“They’ve told me that I’m their only option and that’s a big compliment.”

The centre-back also stressed that, while he would prefer a move during pre-season, a decision on his future will be made before the end of the month.

“The transfer talk doesn’t really affect me. I didn’t expect that I’d feel hardly any stress. If the move doesn’t happen now, I’ll stay at Ajax for another season, and can then leave on a free transfer,” he said.

“The chance that we will know more in the next 10 days is rather small. I just want to start pre-season at my new team.”