Tottenham Hotspur's proposed move for Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven is reportedly in jeopardy due to their refusal to meet the Bundesliga outfit's asking price.
Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou is on the lookout for rearguard reinforcements this summer after the Lilywhites conceded 63 goals during the 2022-23 Premier League season.
Netherlands youngster Van de Ven has apparently been identified as a leading target for Tottenham, who have stepped up their efforts to bring him to North London in the past fortnight.
The agent of the 22-year-old recently talked up his client's chances of moving to Tottenham, who were said to have been closing in on a £30m deal for the defender last week after agreeing personal terms.
However, according to Wolfsburger Allgemeine, the German giants have now upped their asking price for Van de Ven amid reports of interest from Liverpool, and they want as much as £40m to sanction a sale.
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As things stand, Tottenham are supposedly nowhere near meeting Wolfsburg's valuation of the Netherlands Under-21 international, who is not due to become a free agent until 2027.
As a result, Niko Kovac's side could retain Van de Ven's services for another year unless Tottenham bow to their financial demands, which Daniel Levy is currently showing no intention of doing.
Wolfsburg paid a paltry €3.5m (£3m) to sign Van de Ven from FC Volendam in 2021, but the Dutchman was restricted to just five Bundesliga appearances in his debut season.
However, Van de Ven enjoyed a breakthrough year under Kovac in the 2022-23 campaign, coming up with one goal and two assists from 38 games in all competitions.
The 6ft 4in centre-back - who can also play as a left-back - boasts 11 caps for the Netherlands Under-21 national team, playing every minute of their short-lived run at the recent European Championships.
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As well as Van de Ven, Tottenham are also in talks over a permanent deal for Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet, who was a regular for the Lilywhites during his loan spell in 2022-23.
Barca president Joan Laporta has claimed that he is confident of an agreement being reached for Lenglet to return to Tottenham, who have apparently been put off by Crystal Palace's £60m asking price for Marc Guehi.
Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo and Roma's Roger Ibanez have also been linked with moves to Spurs, who could allow all of Joe Rodon, Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez to leave in the coming weeks.
Eric Dier has also entered the final 12 months of his contract and is being tipped to depart on a free transfer in 2024, but he supposedly wants to stay and prove his worth to Postecoglou this summer.
Spurs have already signed James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Dejan Kulusevski on permanent deals this summer, while Manor Solomon is supposedly undergoing a medical today ahead of his arrival on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Ben Knapton
