Tottenham have opened formal negotiations over the signing of Amiens midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, according to L’Equipe.
The French newspaper claimed via their print edition [Monday 18 June, page 25] that Spurs are looking to sign the 21-year-old Frenchman, who spent last season on loan at Lyon, as a replacement for Mousa Dembele as he approaches the final year of his contract in North London.
It is understood that a bid of £34.9million is on the cards for what would no doubt be a major signing by Mauricio Pochettino, as signing a replacement for fan favourite Dembele may be one of his hardest jobs of the summer transfer window.
Good move for Tottenham?
Ndombele looks like a decent young player who definitely fits the mould of a player like Dembele – but is he as good?
The France Under-21 international is powerful and possesses great technical abilities, much like the Belgium international he may be replacing.
However spending so much money on him could be a major risk by Spurs, as Ndombele has only made a total of 81 senior appearances in his career.
He did well at Lyon last season, but he has not exactly justified that massive fee that Daniel Levy would be willing to spend.
Losing Dembele would see Spurs lose a great amount of experience from their midfield, so surely getting in someone who is already a finished product would make more sense.
This is Futbol rating 6/10
Likely to happen?
Given how Levy negotiates, this deal is nowhere near looking as though it will be done and there’s a good chance that it will fall through soon enough.
Spurs are ready to make a big offer of £34.9million, but there’s still the chance that Ndombele could move to Lyon permanently as according to L’Equipe they have the option to buy him.
It’s going to make for an interesting transfer saga if Spurs’ interest is genuine, and one that could drag on for a while.
This is Futbol rating 5/10