Tottenham Hotspur slap £50m price tag on Eric Dier to ward off Manchester United

Manchester United wants all the players this summer, and according to a report by Sam Wallace from The Telegraph, they’ll need to pony up £50 million to acquire Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur.

According to the report, Dier’s name is on a list of players Mourinho wants to sign this summer before the start of preseason. The report did not mention whether the quoted price for the English International would dissuade Manchester from pursuing him. Mourinho is notorious for demanding that his bosses buy all the players he wants, so he will presumably put pressure on Ed Woodward and the executives at Carrington to pay up for Dier.

Just this week, United signed ex-Benfica and Swedish defender Victor Lindelof for £30.75 million, so the £50 million price for Dier seems low considering:

• Dier’s marketability
• The club he’d be purchased from
• The chairman with which Woodward would be negotiating with

These are the battles that Tottenham will continue to fight as they attempt to retain the services of some of the country’s top players who are paid well below their potential compensation at cash-rich clubs like MUFC. News snippets regarding Dier’s unhappiness at his playing position under manager Mauricio Pochettino have cropped up from time-to-time, but wages are the much more likely root of any unhappiness the player might have. The report indicates that Dier prefers to play in central midfield rather than as a center back, which is where he predominantly played last season.