Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen is prepared to talk about extending his contract – but not until the end of the season, says boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The 27-year-old Denmark midfielder, linked with a move to Real Madrid,scored a spectacular 88th-minute winner as Spurs beat Brighton 1-0 on Tuesday.
His contract expires at the end of next season and so far he has held off committing to a new deal.
“I hope and wish Christian can be with us in the future,” said Pochettino.
“I think Christian and us, we are so open to talk and we will see what happens.
“It’s a situation that’s a very special one and Christian is a special person. The timing for him or for the club to be agreeing something is maybe different to another player.
“It’s so close to the end of the season and there’s a lot of time to talk afterwards. The most important thing now, not only for him, is for all the players to be focused and try to achieve the things we want.”
Tottenham are in the semi-finals of the Champions League and will qualify for next year’s tournament if they become European champions.
However, if they fail to do that then they could still qualify for the 2019-20 competition as long as they finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Eriksen’s goal against Brighton, a low strike from 25 yards, kept Tottenham third, three points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea with three league games left.
“We’re in a position now that is in our hands to be in the top four,” added Pochettino. “If we are capable of winning the next three games in the Premier League then we will be third.”
