The agent of Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga has revealed that he and his client had been discussing a new contract with the club before the coronavirus shutdown, while they intend to continue those talks once things get back to normal.
The 21-year-old made his first-team breakthrough following José Mourinho's arrival at the club - impressing on his Premier League debut in January's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool - and is now a regular part of the starting lineup, making 11 appearances in all competitions.
Despite this good form, there have still been rumours that Tanganga could leave the club at the end of the season.
However, the rising star's agent Roberto De Fanti has told TuttoMercatoWeb that talks over extending his client's stay are already underway, in words that are sure to reassure Spurs fans.
“We were in talks with Tottenham for a renewal but this crisis obviously slowed everything down," De Fanti revealed. "When it ends we will resume the interrupted speech.
"We hope that on his return he will also be called up to the national team, given that there were rumours that he was already in [Gareth] Southgate's thoughts despite his very young age."
The report also notes that Tanganga's contract is set to expire in 2021, which is something that has caused real confusion this season.
The youngster's deal was believed to expire at the end of the season, but football.london add that Spurs triggered an option to automatically extend his contract by a further year to make sure he can't actually walk away this summer as has been reported elsewhere, while The Athletic say the same.
So, it seems as though there is no need to worry about Tanganga just yet, and De Fanti's latest words suggest that there is a willingness to extend his stay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium even further.
The youngster has been a vital part of the side under Mourinho, playing all over the defence to fill in where needed. Primarily a centre-back, Tanganga has played both on the left and on the right, and he even played as an advanced wing-back in the 1-1 draw with Burnley.
He has been touted as a potential long-term replacement for Jan Vertonghen, whose contract will actually expire at the end of the season, and it seems as though everything is in place for that to happen.
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Source :
90min
