Transfer News: Lyon unwilling to sanction £54m move for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Tanguy Ndombele
According to the Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur looks set to welcome back Tanguy Ndombele once his loan spell at Lyon expires in the upcoming summer.
The Frenchman joined Spurs from Lyon for a club-record fee in the summer of 2019. Despite scoring on his debut, the 25-year-old largely flopped in North London and was privy to several poor performances under several managers.
Antonio Conte eventually decided to part ways with him in the January transfer window, premiering him to return to the Groupama Stadium on loan for the remainder of the campaign. The Ligue 1 giants have the option of making the deal permanent for £54m.
Ndombele’s return to Lyon has been a moderate success. He has scored one goal and assisted twice in nine games so far. The Frenchman was the hero earlier this week, scoring in the 1-1 draw against West Ham United in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final.
Despite some semblance of form, Lyon are in no mood to pay Tottenham what they want to make the deal permanent. This spells a problem for Spurs, who do not consider the 25-year-old to be a part of their future plans.
What next for Ndombele?
The arrival of Antonio Conte promises new dawn at N-17 and Ndombele does not appear to have any place in it. With Lyon unwilling to bite, Tottenham now looks set to welcome back a player who still has three years to go on his contract.
The Italian’s decision to deem Ndombele expandable mid-season says a lot about where the Frenchman stands in his pecking order.
A physically blessed player who is also good with the ball at his feet, Ndombele’s time at North London can only be described as underwhelming. In the club’s defence, he has been afforded several chances, none of which he took.
He has made 91 appearances for Spurs across all competitions, scoring 10 goals and assisting nine more. To call it a poor return would be an overstatement as he has failed to live up to the price tag.
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Going by what we read above, the chances of Lyon paying Tottenham what is needed to land the Frenchman seems remote. As long as Ndombele keeps performing, there will hopefully be other teams who will throw their name into the hat for his services.
With him having no future at Tottenham, a permanent parting of the ways next summer would be the best way forward for all parties. Rodrigo Bentancur has done well at Spurs since coming in from Juventus this summer while Giovani Lo Celso has made a case for a role at Tottenham with his loan spell at Villarreal this year.
