According to The Times, Sporting Lisbon is interested in signing Eric Dier, a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, when his contract ends next year.

Dier was once again left out of the England team last week and has failed to play a single minute under Ange Postecoglou.

The 29-year-old defender, who now makes £85k a week from the club, will be a free agent at the end of the current campaign, but the Portuguese powerhouses may even make a lower offer for the defender in January.

After having surgery on his groin in May, Dier is still having trouble staying in shape. Dier is making every effort to be available, Postecoglou recently acknowledged. Dier has returned to training.

Hugo Lloris, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Bryan Gil, three unimportant Spurs players, are expected to be sent packing along with him, thus his future is still in doubt.

Return to his old club?

Dier was born and raised in Portugal, where he first joined Sporting’s youth program. Frederico Varandas, the club’s president, and he get along well, therefore a possible return to his former club may be on the cards. Sporting, who are second in the league, may be an intriguing destination for him given that he was previously targeted by Bayern Munich and AS Roma.

He managed to make over 360 appearances across all competitions, making him a crucial figure for Spurs over the years. But it appears like he is nearing the end of his stay at the club. Postecoglou has drastically changed the lineup, and his favourite center defensive partnership in a four-man defense is Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Dier can also operate as a defensive midfielder, but the former Celtic manager will be hesitant to alter the existing lineup given how well Spurs have performed thus far in the new season, where they are now tied for first place with Arsenal.