Midfielder Tanguy Ndombele wants to remain at Lyon next month despite strong interest from Tottenham and other Premier League big hitters, according to Sky Sports News.
The broadcaster claim Spurs, Manchester City and Manchester United are all keeping close tabs on the France international, 21, even though he is valued at £50million by the Ligue 1 club.
Sky Sports News report they have learned from sources close to Ndombele that wants to stay at Lyon “for the rest of the campaign and help them go as far as they can in the Champions League rather than move clubs next month”.
OPINION
This is a blow to Spurs as they try and recruit a long-term successor to Mousa Dembele, who has entered the final six months of his contract and is out injured until at least the start of next year. Mauricio Pochettino has done wonderfully well to plug the gaps in his team’s midfield that have deprived him of Dembele and Victor Wanyama for lengthy periods this season, as well as Eric Dier, who has undergone appendix surgery. But Spurs need a top-class central controller who combines grit with guile, technical quality with power, and can win the ball and hold on to it in congested areas. Lyon paid around £7million for Ndombele in the summer when they converted his season-long loan from Amiens into a permanent deal. His value has multipled many times as a result of his performances this season, particularly in the Champions League, and the sense is growing it could take £50million-plus to get him next summer. That could price him at a level that takes Spurs out of the game.