Are you familiar with Tanguy Ndombele? Probably not, as Jose Mourinho has barely featured this season since taking charge at Tottenham, leading to early talk of him leaving the club just 12 months after joining.
The signing of the highly-rated midfielder from Lyon last summer was rightly considered a coup for Spurs, a deal that cost the club £54m, making him their record signing.
Having arrived with much fanfare under previous boss Mauricio Pochettino, he was used sparingly at the start of the season, but talk of falling out with the new manager and public criticism of his form and injury record cast a dark cloud. have given his future.
So much so that clubs across Europe are taking notice of this situation, namely Inter. Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Serie A club are ‘ready’ to open talks over signing the Frenchman, with Antonio Conte a big admirer.
It has even been suggested that a swap deal could take place in the coming weeks, a route that has the potential to strengthen ties between the two clubs following Christian Eriksen’s January departure from the San Siro.
However, in a twist of classic transfer window style, Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard has thrown a spanner in the works by claiming that Spurs are not in talks to sell Ndombele, 23, chairman Daniel Levy have ‘committed’ they are not in talks to sell 23-year-old Ndombele. Let it go prematurely.
#thfc Tottenham – especially Daniel Levy – are determined to make Ndombele’s record signing a success, amid interest from Inter and Barca. https://t.co/kX90dTrnXp
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) July 31, 2020
There is an acceptance in the Spurs camp that Ndombele needs more time to adapt to life in the Premier League and get used to the culture, while his injury record has also hampered his progress so far.
Talk of a move away for Ndombele has been fueled by reports of heavy interest in fellow Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, who is closing in on an exit from Southampton.
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