Toby Alderweireld has been heavily linked with Manchester United (Picture: Getty)

Former Tottenham star Jermaine Jenas has predicted that Toby Alderweireld will complete a move to Manchester United in the January transfer window.

The 29-year-old defender was at the top of Jose Mourinho’s wishlist this summer but Spurs’ £60million asking price put the Red Devils off a potential deal.

Alderweireld is out of contract at the end of the season but Tottenham can extend his deal by another year which will trigger a release clause allowing United to sign the Belgian for only £25m during a two-week period at the end of next summer.

While Jenas believes that Alderweireld is crucial to Mauricio Pochettino’s plans, he believes it’s almost inevitable that the centre-back will end up at Old Trafford before the end of the season.

‘Spurs 100 per cent still need Toby. Davinson Sanchez is a good player but he’s not the finished article and he’s not better than Toby,’ Jenas told Express Sport.

‘Toby and Jan [Vertonghen] together is quite possibly the best or the second-best centre-half pairing in the world.

Jermaine Jenas believes Toby Alderweireld could end up at Manchester United this season (Picture: Getty)

‘People probably argue Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos [at Real Madrid], who run them close. Why you wouldn’t want that, I don’t know.

“I think his age and the fact that he’s started to pick up a few injuries doesn’t help Toby.

‘From United’s point of view they were saying ‘why should we pay £60m when we can get him for £25m in January?’.

‘I’m almost certain if he’s not gone by the end of this window already, then he’ll go to United [in January].’

Rio Ferdinand wanted his former club to sign the Tottenham defender (Picture: Getty)

United legend Rio Ferdinand revealed earlier this month that Alderweireld would have been his first-choice defensive target this summer.

‘I was in favour of bringing Toby Alderweireld from Spurs,’ Ferdinand said on BT Sport.

‘When playing regularly, I think he’s within the top two or three centre-halfs in the country, in this league.

‘I think he’s a fantastic player, he proved it again at the World Cup after not playing so many games last season.

‘I thought he was a definite [to sign for Manchester United]… he would have been my go-to choice to be honest.’

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