Chelsea ready to double Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld’s £49,000-a-week wage

Chelsea are reportedly weighing up a surprise summer swoop for Belgium international defender Toby Alderweireld, according to the Sunday Times.

The defending Premier League champions, who visit Wembley Stadium this afternoon (16:00) to take on London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, have been linked with a shock move for the Spurs centre-half before the close of the transfer window.

The 28-year-old, who has 67 international caps for his country, played the full 90 minutes and helped his team-mates keep a clean sheet and record a 2-0 win at Newcastle United last weekend in their 2017-18 top-flight opener.

Alderweireld, who arrived at White Hart Lane back in July 2015 following his reported £11.5m switch from La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid, scored two goals in 39 appearances in all competitions for Mauricio Pochettino’s side last season.

Spurs’ Toby Alderweireld.

However, with defending champions Chelsea keen to strengthen their backline before deadline day (August 31), Blues boss Antonio Conte has been linked with luring the defender to Stamford Bridge, having already made an enquiry about his long-term future at Spurs.

The report suggests Chelsea could look to double Alderweireld’s current wage of £49,000-a-week in a bid to lure him away from Wembley Stadium this summer.