Tottenham Hotspur appear set on losing one of their longest-serving players this summer, and it could be the biggest mistake Jose Mourinho makes.

According to the ever-reliable Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard, Jan Vertonghen is expected to complete the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign as a Spurs player before leaving the club on a free.

At 33 years of age, it can be argued that is is indeed time for a fresh change in Mourinho's inherited backline. But the following months leading into the new season are going to be far from the norm.

It's believed that Spurs will only be able to operate in the free-agent market as well as through negotiating swap deals because of how severely this pandemic has hit finances in the top-flight.

This effectively means that Vertonghen's successor is going to either be a freebie or from within - now you may cry for Japhet Tanganga, but he's shown in glimpses that he's still some way off being a regular first-choice central defender.

There's not much out there in free agency either, veteran duo Giorgio Chiellini and Thiago Silva are both out of contract, but why get rid of the Belgian only to bring in two players who are much older?

Spurs' biggest problem right now is in defence, which can be seen in their shocking figures. They rank joint-worst for goals conceded amongst the Premier League's 'top ten'.

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By removing a centre-back from the equation, when there's no sufficient backup and no money to spend, you're effectively sleepwalking the club into major danger.

Take John Terry, for instance, he played on at Chelsea until he was about 36. He may not have featured as much in his final season, but there's no denying that his influence on and off the pitch was pivotal to them clinching the title.

Vertonghen has clearly still got it in his locker having played 26 times this term. Heck, the veteran defender still gets selected for Belgium.

Spurs would be a stronger side with the centre-back still around next season - at the very, very least he deserves a proper send-off after racking up well over 300 appearances in north London.

WHILE in other news, Spurs fans lust for Serie A superstar amid transfer reports...