Tottenham Hotspur confirms contract talks with 'special' attacker

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that the club are prepared to discuss a new contract with Christian Eriksen with his existing deal due to expire at the end of next season.

The Denmark international has been a crucial performer for the north London side in the past five-and-a-half years and he recently scored a key winner against Brighton & Hove Albion to boost their top-four prospects.

Speaking after the 1-0 triumph, Pochettino acknowledged that nothing has been sorted out in terms of the extension with Eriksen but the club are willing to hold talks regarding the same.

"The timing for him or for the club to be agreeing something are maybe different to another player. I hope and I wish Christian can be with us in the future but I think Christian and us we are so open to talk and we will see what happens," he told Sky Sports.

Eriksen has been linked with a potential move to Real Madrid in the past few weeks, but Spurs remain hopeful that they can convince him to stay put by agreeing on a fresh long-term deal.

Spurs are currently third on the table with 70 points after 35 games. They are widely regarded as the favourites to secure one of the remaining two Champions League places.