Tottenham are open to moving on central midfielder if they receive a suitable offer.
Tottenham Hotspur have been putting last season’s disappointment behind them with a major rebuild of their squad. Six signings have been made thus far, including splashing over £180 million on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
Spurs have been focusing on departures in the last couple of weeks. Luka Vuskovic, Alfie Devine, Radu Dragusin and Will Lankshear have all departed. Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario and Ashley Phillips are among the players who could be on their way out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the coming weeks.
Lucas Bergvall’s future has been up in the air following the big-money arrivals of Tonali and Fernandes. Brighton and Hove Albion have joined Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United in the race to sign the Swedish talent. Alongside Bergvall, it looks like another midfielder could leave the club.
Rodrigo Bentancur on Tottenham’s chopping block
Rodrigo Bentancur has been one of the surprise names to have been omitted from the 35-man Tottenham squad that flew for the pre-season tour to Australia and New Zealand on Friday.
The 29-year-old was a part of the Uruguay squad that crashed out of the World Cup at the group stage. The club have revealed that Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr have been granted ‘extended leave’ after their World Cup commitments.
Bentancur emerged as a key player in De Zerbi’s side at the back end of last season. The Uruguayan international was preferred ahead of Archie Gray in the deep-lying midfielder’s role by De Zerbi, as the Lilywhites escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth. However, it is understood that the Spurs chiefs have internally expressed concerns over the midfielder’s lack of mobility and whether he can actually return to being the same player who was a mainstay in the side before his unfortunate ACL injury in February 2023.
Now, according to club insider Szyexcl on X, Tottenham will listen to offers for Bentancur. The midfielder’s future at the club remains uncertain with five weeks remaining in the transfer window.
The Uruguayan star still has three years left on his contract, so Tottenham are not under pressure to sell. If they move him on, it will be because the club believe they can get a decent fee, lower the wage bill, and create space for further business. They think the time is right for the 29-year-old to leave, regardless of him essaying a key role in the Lilywhites’ survival under De Zerbi.
A senior and battle-tested player, Bentancur has not managed to live up to the heights expected of him owing to injury problems. The South American has been extremely unfortunate with injuries, leading to a lack of consistency and continuity. Overall, though, the former Juventus man has been a fine player for the Lilywhites, netting 10 goals in 147 appearances.
Should Bentancur leave, the Hotspur Way chiefs will certainly look to replace him in De Zerbi’s squad.