Tottenham are keen to tie star centre-back Micky van de Ven down to a new long-term contract, reports The Athletic.

Van de Ven has established himself as a key player for the north London side following his arrival from Wolfsburg in 2023.

The Dutchman signed a six-year contract when he moved to Spurs two-and-a-half years ago, so the club are under no pressure to extend his stay.

Real Madrid keeping tabs on Van de Ven

That being said, Spurs are aware of interest in Van de Ven, with La Liga giants Real Madrid reportedly monitoring the Netherlands international.

As such, Thomas Frank’s side are working to extend his current deal and reward the 24-year-old for his fine form following his signing.

Van de Ven was crucial as Spurs ended their 17-year wait for a trophy as they won the Europa League back in May, starring alongside Cristian Romero at the heart of the defence.

Romero, who was linked with a summer exit, extended his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was a huge boost for Frank.

And Romero was appointed Spurs captain over the summer, with centre-back partner Van de Ven named among the club’s leadership team.

Liverpool boss Slot was critical of Spurs star

Van de Ven has found his name in the headlines for all the wrong reasons for the past week having been criticised by Liverpool boss Arne Slot after striker Alexander Isak suffered an ankle fracture in the Reds’ 2-1 win at Spurs last weekend.

Isak scored Liverpool’s first in their eventual victory, but his evening was cut short as Van de Van sought to block the Swede’s effort.

However, Isak’s standing leg was twisted under Van de Ven with the former Newcastle man set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines following surgery.

“It was a reckless challenge,” Slot said. “I’ve said a lot about the tackle of Xavi Simons, which for me was completely unintentional. I don’t think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that.

“But the tackle of van de Ven, if you make a tackle like that 10 times, 10 times there is a serious chance the player gets a serious injury.”

Even so, the result means Spurs have won only one of their last eight league matches as pressure mounts on Frank.

The north London side will hope to return to winning ways when they make the trip across the capital to face Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Frank, though, will be without pair Romero and Xavi Simons following their respective red cards against Liverpool last week.