Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that an agreement was close between all parties and that the ‘extraordinary’ defender could be joining Spurs very soon.
Van de Ven to Tottenham is an exciting move, but after hearing this report many were left wondering how much Spurs would be paying for the Dutch defender.
Valuations of both £30m and £35m have been reported recently, but it actually looks as though the north London club may have paid even more than that for Van de Ven.
Indeed, according to Alfredo Pedulla, the fee Tottenham have agreed to pay for the young defender is €50m (£43m).
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Of course, supply and demand dictate the prices of everything in this transfer window, but it has to be said that £43m is a lot of money for a centre-half who finished in mid-table in the Bundesliga last season.
There is a lot to like about Van de Ven, nobody is denying that, but the reality is that at £43m you’d want an established top-level centre-back, not somebody who is still only making their name in the game.
Every young player has to start somewhere, and we can’t knock Spurs for taking a risk on a player who appears to have an incredibly high ceiling, but after years of hearing how much of a master negotiator Daniel Levy is, it has to be claimed that this is a bit of an overpay.
Van de Ven could quickly prove that he is worth the money if he hits the ground running in the Premier League, but with only two weeks to go until the start of the season, it may be difficult for the defender to bed himself in in time for the opening day of the campaign.
