Tottenham have already started working to sign ‘one of the best defenders in the world’ before January

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for the Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij.

The 30-year-old defender is nearing the end of his contract at the Italian club and he will be available on a free transfer at the end of the season. There have been rumours that the player could move on during the January transfer window for a knockdown price.

Inter might not want to lose a player of his calibre on a free transfer and therefore selling him for a nominal fee during the winter transfer window would make sense.

According to L’Interista, Tottenham and Newcastle are keen on signing the Dutch centre-back and they have already made initial enquiries.

Conte is reportedly an admirer of the experienced defender having worked with him at Inter Milan.

It will be interesting to see if Spurs can convince the player to join them during the January transfer window. It is fair to assume that Inter’s asking price will be reasonable given his contract situation and therefore Spurs should be able to afford him.

Conte wanted to sign Alessandro Bastoni during the summer transfer window but the player was not keen on the move. De Vrij has been better than the Italian international for Inter Milan and he would be quite a coup for Spurs despite his age.

Former Dutch international turned pundit Van Hanegem recently claimed that De Vrij has turned into “one of the best defenders in the world”.