New Joe Rodon player-plus-cash transfer possibility urges Leeds United to speed up Tottenham Hotspur talks

The Spurs defender could be used as a deal-sweetener to help the North London club achieve their incoming transfer objectives this summer after it was made clear the player's future lies elsewhere.

Rodon's Spurs contract was extended by a year earlier this summer as Spurs look to make back some of the £11 million invested in the Wales central defender. The current window represents the final time Spurs can earn market value for the former Leeds loanee without losing him in January at a knock-down price, or on a free transfer next summer.

An alternative option is available to Tottenham, however, and that is using Rodon as a makeweight in a deal to sign other players wanted by Ange Postecoglou. According to fresh reports, Spurs are keen to sign Southampton's Charly Alcaraz and could hypothetically use Rodon as leverage by offering him as part of the deal to bring the Argentinian to North London.

Rodon is understood to be keen on an Elland Road return after making 50 appearances for the Whites last term across all competitions, but Leeds are unlikely to meet Spurs at their initial asking price, which is most probably near to, or exceeding, the £10 million mark.

A policy of transfer brinkmanship could see Leeds pick up last season's central defensive stalwart for a reduced fee later in the window, but that particular scenario could also backfire if Spurs, who deem Rodon expendable, can successfully negotiate a transfer for a player which involves sending the 26-year-old the other way.

Southampton have already signed central defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis on a permanent deal following promotion to the Premier League and may be less inclined to negotiate with Spurs for Alcaraz if the makeweight is an additional right-footed centre-half, as opposed to one of Spurs' other available players.

That does not mean to say Rodon will not be a sought-after individual this summer, though, particularly for sides at the bottom end of the Premier League. While it may not make squad planning sense to Southampton, that isn't to say another top flight club wouldn't be enticed by the prospect of receiving an experienced, peak years international defender in a player-plus-cash swap deal.

Therefore, there is an argument to say it is in Leeds' interest to expedite negotiations to guard against eventual transfer disappointment.