Jan Vertonghen called Fiorentina ‘world-class’ five years ago, Italians now keen

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It appears Jan Vertonghen could be on his way out of Tottenham before the season has ended. Sky Sports is reporting that the Belgian has been asked to remain at the club beyond his current contract expiration date but that the experienced defender is considering his options. 

Vertonghen is set to become a free agent and is clearly apprehensive about jeopardizing a future move by potentially injuring himself during Tottenham’s season run-in. 

Plenty of teams appear to be interested in Vertonghen, but Italy continues to be his most likely destination. 

The latest team to the hunting party is Fiorentina.

It was reported by TuttoMercatoWeb last week that the Italian side have been interested in the player for some time and are now picking up their pursuit of the player. 

The Times have now reported on the interest and seemed to confirm that Fiorentina are indeed keen on a move for the Belgian. 

It would seemingly interest Vertonghen. In the past, he has been complimentary about the club. In 2015, ahead of a Europa League clash between the two sides, he called La Viola ‘world-class’, as reported by FourFourTwo. 

Of course, that was five years ago, when the Italian side possessed the likes of Mohamed Salah, Marcos Alonso and Stefan Savic. It was also a game Vertonghen would live to regret, after his blunder allowed Salah to kill the tie in a 3-1 aggregate defeat for Spurs. 

Fiorentina have struggled to reach such form since and narrowly avoided relegation last season. Vertonghen is also known to be a fan of the city. In January 2014 he sparked transfer speculation after tweeting his arrival in the Italian city. Clearly, he was just on vacation, but Vertonghen appears to have an affinity for the city. 

It could be the perfect move for Vertonghen. At 33, his career is beginning to wind down and playing for a team like Fiorentina could be the best option for him to play regularly still and find a new challenge.