Tottenham defender Danny Rose thinks it is "vital" the club keep playmaker Christian Eriksen at the club as speculation continues to mount about the Dane's future.

Eriksen joined Spurs from Ajax in 2013 and swiftly established himself, going on to become one of the Premier League's best playmakers.

But the midfielder has just over a year on his contract and does not appear to be any closer to signing a new deal, though Mauricio Pochettino said Tottenham were "so open" to discussions after Spurs' 1-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, in which Eriksen scored the late winner.

Spurs and Eriksen have long been in negotiations, according to reports, but Real Madrid and Barcelona are rumoured to be interested.

Rose thinks it is crucial Eriksen stays, however, and is hopeful the two parties will eventually come to an agreement.

"It's obviously vital," Rose told reporters. "If you look over the five years that the manager's been here, Christian has probably played the most games. That says a lot.

"When Christian doesn't play, there are questions that we don't look the same. He links everything up for us.

"It's a pleasure to play with him. He's such a hard worker. He's so creative and I hope he does sign. The lads in the changing room trust the people upstairs to hopefully get him to do that. We'll just have to wait and see and hope that he does sign.

"We've got the foundations, but it's not just the foundations that attract players and make players want to stay or make players want to sign. We've got a great base now.

"It's out of the players' control. We just have to trust that the people upstairs are going to do whatever they see fit to help us make that next step.

"We know that our manager is a winner. He demands the best from us and he wants to win something as well. So, while everybody is on the same page, we can just look forward to next season and see what it brings."