Antonio Conte hit by major transfer budget loss as Tottenham flop fails to convince loan club on permanent move

Antonio Conte will have less money to spend in the summer transfer window amid claims a Tottenham outcast will not be signed permanently by his loan side.

Conte is aiming to improve a few positions at the end of the season. Arguably the most important new arrival will be a goalkeeper.

Hugo Lloris is now 36 years old, so a younger alternative needs to be brought in. And according to one observer, Tottenham will be ‘at the front of the queue’ to sign a world-class shot-stopper from La Liga.

Conte also hopes to bolster his centre-back ranks. On this front, Tottenham are looking into a move for Bayer Leverkusen and Ecuador star Piero Hincapie.

Unfortunately for Tottenham, they will now have to spend more money on the defender after he penned a new Leverkusen contract. Football Insider claim Hincapie’s price tag now sits at £50million.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will have been hoping to sell some of the dead wood on the club’s books in order to fund the pursuits of a new keeper and defender. This includes Tanguy Ndombele, who is currently on loan at Italian side Napoli.

However, Area Napoli state Ndombele has not done enough to earn a permanent move to the club. While he has put in some good performances, he has struggled for consistency during his time in Serie A. This sounds pretty similar to his form in a Spurs shirt.

Napoli have the option to land the midfielder permanently this summer for between €25m and €30m (£22m-26.5m). But his inconsistent form, as well as the significant cost, have seen Napoli turn their backs on Ndombele. Instead, they will ship him back to north London once the campaign is over.

Tottenham transfer kitty loses £26.5m

As such, Spurs have lost out on a potential £26.5m boost to their transfer kitty.

Spurs could still sell Ndombele once the transfer window reopens later this year. But as Napoli are unwilling to pay £22m-26.5m for him, it is unlikely any other clubs in Europe will submit a bid worth this amount.

As such, Spurs may have to put him on the market for less than £20m. Having signed him for a club-record £55m in summer 2019, Levy is now facing the prospect of taking a big financial hit on the 26-year-old.

There is pretty much no chance of Ndombele getting back into Conte’s plans, either. While he is a good creator, he does not have the work ethic or battle-hardened nature that Conte wants in the middle of the park.

When all his midfielders are fit, the Italian likes to operate with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur in there. Ndombele is some way off those two stars and is also a different kind of midfielder.

It is another major setback for the Frenchman, who has not had the desired impact since moving to England from Lyon over three years ago.

Ndombele is not the only Spurs man out on loan who is struggling to impress his temporary club. Sergio Reguilon has apparently left Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone disappointed. As such, the La Liga outfit will not begin discussions with Spurs to land him permanently this summer.

Meanwhile, an integral Spurs ace will be out for the rest of the season after picking up a serious injury, according to reports.