{"id":561822,"date":"2020-08-13T06:56:02","date_gmt":"2020-08-13T10:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=561822"},"modified":"2020-08-13T07:40:38","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T11:40:38","slug":"report-jan-vertonghen-nears-benfica-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/08\/13\/report-jan-vertonghen-nears-benfica-move\/","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: Jan Vertonghen Nears Benfica Move"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to BBC Sport<\/a>, Jan Vertonghen <\/a>is closing in on a free transfer to Portuguese side Benfica. The Belgian defender left Tottenham Hotspur<\/a> following the expiry of his contract at the end of this season.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old is having a medical at Benfica today, and is expected to sign a three-year deal with the side that finished second in the Primeira Liga last season.<\/p>\n

According to Fabrizio Romano<\/a>, a deal is now complete.<\/p>\n

Jan Vertonghen to Sign for Benfica<\/h2>\n

The Player Leaves a Mixed Spurs Legacy<\/h3>\n

The defender had a distinguished playing career in North London, making over 300 appearances since signing for the club in 2012.<\/p>\n

However, Vertonghen failed to win any major trophies with Spurs. He was on the losing side in the League Cup final against Chelsea<\/a> in 2015, and was unable to taste European glory as Liverpool<\/a> won the Champions League final in 2019.<\/p>\n

A crucial reason as to why Vertonghen decided to leave North London is that his playing time became limited following the arrival of Jos\u00e9 Mourinho<\/a>. The Belgian made 23 Premier League<\/a> appearances last season, scoring once in the process.<\/p>\n

A Fond Farewell for Vertonghen<\/h3>\n

Vertonghen took to Instagram<\/a> to pay tribute to club staff and fans upon his departure from Spurs in late-July.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo my time at the club comes to an end, a sad day for many reasons. I will miss the friends I\u2019ve made here, the staff that make the club run, playing at the amazing new stadium and of course you fans,\u201d wrote the defender.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for all the support over the years. You\u2019ve been amazing. We had many unbelievable memories but for now, it\u2019s goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry Kane<\/a> was among those to pay tribute to Jan Vertonghen and\u00a0Michel Vorm<\/a>, who also leaves the club as a free agent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish nothing but the best for Jan Vertonghen and Michel Vorm with whatever is next for them. It has been a pleasure sharing a dressing room and playing with them both,\u201d said the England striker, also on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>