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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, John Hartson has told Tottenham Hotspur that they must forget about the £25m-30m they could potentially receive by selling Christian Eriksen in January and keep him in north London for the remainder of the season.

The 27-year-old is into the final year of his contract and it doesn't look too promising for those hoping to see him sign an extension, with his personal desire to embark on a new challenge suggesting that his future lies elsewhere.

The Denmark international remaining at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the summer transfer window means that, as things stand, their final chance to recoup some sort of transfer fee for the playmaker, who has scored 67 goals and provided a further 86 assists in 281 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, is in the New Year.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Hartson’s viewpoint on the situation was clear: "Tottenham must keep Eriksen.

"Eriksen is a technician, has guile, scores goals and Tottenham should waive the £25-30m they could get in January to ensure they get Champions League football."

Given the significant difference Eriksen has made in the final third for Spurs since his move from Ajax, it’s difficult to disagree with Hartson that £25-30m wouldn’t compensate for what the Dane could contribute during the second half of the 2019/20 campaign, in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Tottenham are a club in the habit of playing among Europe’s elite now, and following an unconvincing beginning to the season they could do with a proven English top flight performer in the 27-year-old for the next eight months, otherwise they could struggle to secure that coveted top-four finish, as Hartson suggests.

The 44-year-old also told FFC exclusively about Tottenham’s attempts to keep Eriksen at the club and where he believes he could end up next.

"I do believe they tried to work with Eriksen's representatives,” the former Wales international added.

“They did try to get him on a contract but he's just basically let his contract run out. So maybe that tells you something about where he wants to go next.

"I feel he's good enough to go higher, to go over to Spain and play for the big-two."