Tottenham to miss out on top target as club increase price for star who admires Liverpool

Tottenham could be poised to miss out on the signing of Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven this summer, according to reports. Spurs are said to have identified the Dutchman, who has previously expressed a fondness for Liverpool, as their top defensive target ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

New boss Ange Postecoglou is thought to be keen on recruiting some new blood at the back, with Tottenham having conceded the highest number of goals of any club in the Premier League's top half last season. Reports earlier this week suggested that Van de Ven was closing in on a permanent move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, although the situation now appears to be in doubt as a result of Wolfsburg changing their demands.The German outfit have raised Van de Ven's asking price to around £40million and would be more than happy to keep hold of their man if Tottenham fail to pay up, according to the Wolfsburger Allgemeine. It is said that Spurs have not managed to get anywhere near Wolfsburg's stated figure as of yet, which suggests that the defender looks set to remain in the Bundesliga unless things change dramatically.Van de Ven, who made 41 appearances for Wolfsburg in all competitions, would reportedly welcome the chance to join Tottenham in order to realise his dream of playing in the Premier League. However, his current employers are said to have made it clear that he will be going nowhere unless Spurs or any other club decide to pay his asking price in full.

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The player remains tied down at Wolfsburg until the summer of 2027, which means the Bundesliga side are under no pressure to sell him for a cut-price fee this summer. It remains to be seen how the situation will play out before the start of next season, although Tottenham have plenty of other irons in the fire and Daniel Levy is unlikely to be bullied into paying over the odds for Van de Ven's services.Spurs have also been credited with a keen interest in bringing Clement Lenglet back on a permanent basis, with the Frenchman having been deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelona after his loan spell in north London last season. Wolves defender Max Kilman has emerged as another target, according to Corriere dello Sport, with Napoli also believed to be keen on signing the 26-year-old this summer.

Van de Veen, meanwhile, has also been linked with a potential move to Liverpool after fans on Twitter caught wind of his apparent love for the club. An old photo, which appeared to show him wearing a red scarf at Anfield, circulated on social media last month and he recently flirted with the idea of joining the Reds by name-dropping them as a side who have previously held an interest in him."Of course, there are a lot of people who draw lines," Van de Veen told Voetbal International earlier this year. "It's true that the director went there and I know that Liverpool followed me before, but at the moment I don't know anything."Do I think Liverpool is a nice club? Naturally! If a nice club comes along that has a clear plan with me, then I could consider taking a step. Then you are open to that in that sense. There is a chance that after this summer I will just play in the Bundesliga, but there is also a chance that I will make a transfer. We will see. Let's finish this season first."