Tottenham have upped their ante in the pursuit of Jan Vertonghen in the form of chairman Daniel Levy flying to Holland today to meet with Ajax officials.

Spurs have been heavily linked with the Belgian centre-back recently and it appears likely that they will get their man after Vertonghen stated the only club in England for him is Tottenham.

Levy has continued talks with the Dutch giants but it seems that the North London club are not keen to pay the reported £12million that Ajax want for Vertonghen’s services.

Talks involving the players agent Mustapha Nakhli are ongoing with a deal expected to be finalised as soon as an agreement can be made on the transfer fee.

Ajax ran riot to signal their title-winning intent with a thumping win over Heracles this afternoon.

Locked in a six-team battle for the crown, the Amsterdam club took over top spot with the win, although AZ Alkmaar could reclaim it later today.

Either way, Frank de Boer’s men are firmly in the mix for the title, with their performance here sending out a clear warning sign to the rest.

Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen admits he misses former teammate Thomas Vermaelen.

Dutch sources say Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is keen to pair Vermaelen with the Ajax defender.

Vertonghen said: “I read in the newspaper that they’re following me, but Ajax will not sell me, so I’ll stay another year.

“I lost a friend when he went to Arsenal, but it was good for his career. We are very close and sometimes I call him several times a week.”