Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and BBC regular Noel Whelan has reacted to the emergence of a report linking Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld with a possible exit as the former Premier League striker claims that losing him is a 'scary' prospect for Spurs.

Alderweireld has been the subject of speculation surrounding his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the Belgian currently at the centre of interest from Club Brugge.

Whelan reacts to Alderweireld report

Voetbal 24 reported recently that the Jupiler Pro League side have made contact over a potential summer transfer for the Lilywhites defender as Whelan claims the prospect of losing him and other big names comes as scary for Spurs supporters and manager Jose Mourinho.

"It’s actually really scary as a Tottenham fan. They’ve got real problems at centre-half," explained the BBC pundit to Football Insider.

“Sanchez is not working and Dier has been very inconsistent. Alderweireld has been there as part of the furniture and fixings for a long, long time now.

"However, if you lose a big, big player like that, you’re going to have to pay millions. Millions of pounds.

“I’m not sure whether they can because they’re not going to entice players of that calibre.”

Transfer Tavern take

Time will tell whether the 32-year-old could opt for a return to his homeland in the summer, or indeed elsewhere, but Whelan may be correct that Tottenham would need to have a replacement in mind.

Spurs have been linked with numerous centre-backs recently, with reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold claiming that the Lilywhites are keeping tabs on Joachim Andersen, Nikola Milenkovic and Lewis Dunk in particular (football.london).

Regardless, it could be hard to replace an experienced figure like Alderweireld if exit links come to fruition.

In other news: Tottenham have been dealt a potential Harry Kane blow, find out more here.