Jermaine Jenas has advised Tottenham to reject any offers below £50m that come in for Christian Eriksen this month.
Eriksen, who has just one year left on his contract, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid before the European transfer window closes at the end of August. Spurs are reportedly willing to offer the Dane improved terms in a bid to keep him, but an agreement is believed to be unlikely.
In Tottenham’s 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on the opening weekend, Eriksen came off the bench and changed the game, instantly improving the hosts’ attacking play. There have been calls for the midfielder to start when Spurs travel to Manchester City on Saturday.
Jenas believes losing Eriksen on a free transfer will be worth it next summer if Tottenham can keep the 27-year-old in north London this season, although he acknowledges the club may have to accept offers of £50 million or more.
“If Tottenham are offered anything less than £50m for Christian Eriksen this month, then they should keep him – even if it means he leaves for nothing next summer,” Jenas told BBC Sport.
“I hope Eriksen stays, because he is so valuable to their chances of winning a trophy under Mauricio Pochettino.
“Spurs might see last week’s loan signing Giovani lo Celso as a direct replacement for Eriksen, so they are ready if the right bid comes in, but they will be much stronger if he stays.
“Lo Celso is a very talented player, who creates and scores goals, but it is asking a lot for him to come to the Premier League and immediately be at Eriksen’s level in terms of goals, assists and creative play.
“I still think Tottenham will make the top four if Eriksen leaves – they are better than Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal at the moment – but they have worked hard to get their squad into this position, and the idea is to build themselves up, so why allow themselves to become weaker?”
Mauricio Pochettino claims the contract situations of his players will have no effect on his team selections for the rest of the month, which suggests Eriksen may indeed start from the beginning at the Etihad.
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