Tottenham Hotspur should test the waters at Barcelona over the availability of Jordi Alba if Danny Rose leaves this summer.
What’s the word?
Rose’s future remains uncertain, despite being linked to Manchester United for the last few months.
The left-back is currently in Russia for England’s World Cup campaign, so any potential transfer is unlikely to be agreed until after the tournament.
Rose landed in hot water before the start of the 2017-18 campaign after publicly bashing Tottenham and questioning their ambition.
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After he recovered from a serious knee injury, the left-back struggled to win back his spot from Ben Davies and in the end started just nine Premier League games.
If Rose does walk out the exit gates, then the club should certainly mull over a move for Barcelona’s Alba.
Is a deal likely?
Given the player’s pedigree, he is likely to attract interest from many top clubs, which would make it harder for Tottenham to get a deal over the line.
There may be an opening, though, as Sport reported a fortnight ago that Alba was growing frustrated with the contract situation at the Camp Nou.
There is no doubting the Spaniard’s ability as he made 48 appearances in all competitions for Barca last season, and in that time produced 12 assists and scored three goals.
Alba’s attack-minded approach would add another dimension to Mauricio Pochettino’s team at Spurs, but knowing how chairman Daniel Levy likes to operate, he will not pay over the odds for the left-back.
Transfermarkt rates the Spaniard at £54m, but is is unclear how much Barcelona would demand.
