Tottenham have been given a boost in their transfer pursuit of Inter Milan star Stefan de Vrij, with the defender's contract up in the summer of 2023. Antonio Conte has previously worked with De Vrij in Italy and has already shown interest in wanting to bring the Dutchman to the Premier League.
Despite the destination of his future being unclear, De Vrij has featured in 12 of Inter's 15 Serie A outings this season, scoring one goal in the process while also helping the Italian giants keep four clean sheets.
Given Conte's success at Inter, where he guided the club to their first Scudetto title since 2010, it's understandable that he wants to bring several players from that title-winning team to north London.
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Ivan Perisic arrived from Inter last summer and has made a huge impact so far this season, while Spurs were also pushing to sign Alessandro Bastoni, but a move was proving difficult to pull off with the 23-year-old being outlined as a future Inter captain.
However, negotiations for his defensive partner De Vrij seem far easier given he is seven years older than Bastoni and his current deal is up in the summer, with contract extension talks not going well thus far.
Football Insider reported two weeks ago that Conte had already spoken to the player about a move to North London during the January transfer window. While TuttoMercatoWeb claimed that Inter had offered the Netherlands international a new deal, but the former Lazio man was 'lukewarm' about the offer.
De Vrij's agent Federico Pastorello has now spoken on the future of his client and while he plays down a January departure, a potential exit at the end of his current contract is not ruled out.
When asked about De Vrij's renewal, he told TuttoMercatoWeb: "No problems. Then February-March will be a good time to make certain choices.
"There will be no shortage of offers, but at his age and for a very thoughtful boy like him, who has basically played for two-three clubs in his career, all aspects will be important.
"He will soon be a dad too and this will be another aspect he will take into consideration. The liking and the possibility to stay is absolute.
"At the end of the year there will be many top clubs looking for a centre-back, there will be plenty of opportunities, but his assessments will concern not only the contractual aspect, but also many elements, as mentioned."
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