Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly exploring the financial viability of letting Christian Eriksen enter the final year of his contract.
The Danish playmaker currently has 18 months to run on his existing deal and has been tipped to join one of Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United at the end of the campaign.
Eriksen has yet to agree terms with Spurs to extend his stay beyond June 2020, but the Daily Mail reports that chairman Daniel Levy has relaxed his rule of not allowing players to enter the final stages of their contract.
Rather than sell the 26-year-old to the highest bidder this summer, the report claims that Tottenham are instead prepared to see him leave on a free contract a year later, as it will cost in excess of £50m to find a replacement.
Spurs are said to be hopeful that an agreement can still be reached with Eriksen further down the line about doubling his £70,000-a-week wages.
Daniel Lewis
