Tottenham Hotspur will reportedly only allow Eric Dier to leave the club in January if they can sign a suitable replacement.
Micky van de Ven's recent injury means that Spurs are light on options in defence, and manager Ange Postecoglou was forced into handing Dier a first competitive start of the season at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
The arrival of Van de Ven meant that Dier looked likely to leave the club during the summer window, but despite not even being named in any of Spurs' first five matchday squads this season, he stayed put.
A three-match ban for Cristian Romero further stretched Postecoglou's options at the back, as Ben Davies partnered Dier in central defence at Molineux in what was just a second league start for him this season.
With Van de Ven ruled out until the new year with a hamstring injury, Football Insider claims that while Spurs are willing to cash in on Dier, they will only do so after a replacement has been brought in.
Dier's contract expires at the end of the season, so January will provide Spurs with their last chance to receive a fee for the defender before he is expected to leave on a free next June.
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Before an eventful encounter against Chelsea last Monday, which saw Van de Ven pick up his injury and Romero dismissed, the pair had partnered each other in every Premier League up to that point.
With Romero set to miss the next two games, Dier and Davies will be the likely starters for their matches against Aston Villa and Manchester City.
If Spurs fail to find an adequate replacement, then the club may be forced into keeping Dier for the remainder of the season to deputise for Van de Ven.
However, Football Insider also believe that Dier is keen on a move elsewhere, with Bayern Munich said to be one of the clubs interested in him.
Dier would follow in Harry Kane's footsteps of swapping North London for Munich, where the England captain has made a fantastic start, scoring 17 goals in 11 league games, and a further four in the Champions League.
The Bavarian giants are in the market for a defender, as there is not much cover behind their current pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae, with Matthijs de Ligt currently out injured.
Andrew Delaney
