Shock Tottenham loan exit hinted at for valuable midfielder who’d partner Arsenal old boy at new club

Rodrigo Bentancur could be presented with the surprise option of leaving Tottenham Hotspur on loan in the January transfer window, according to speculation abroad.

Back in February 2023, Bentancur suffered a serious injury, from which he has only just recently being regaining fitness. The Uruguay international has made appearances from the bench in each of Tottenham’s two most recent Premier League fixtures.

Should his road to recovery stay on track, Bentancur could take on additional importance for Ange Postecoglou’s side in the new year, since Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr will be at the Africa Cup of Nations and players like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso are being linked with exits in January.

However, reports in Turkey are now suggesting that Bentancur could also leave Tottenham midway through the season after becoming a target for Galatasaray.

The reigning Super Lig champions already signed one midfielder on loan from Tottenham in the summer, but Tanguy Ndombele has seriously disappointed them so far.

Therefore, they are now on the lookout for something to add to their engine room and according to Bulent Timurlenk from BeIN Sports, Bentancur has been identified as an option.

Citing his Transfermarkt value of €40m, reports suggest it would only be possible for Galatasaray to take Bentancur on loan.

IN FOCUS: The 10 most valuable players at Tottenham: Postecoglou signing takes top spot, Romero on the rise

However, the theory is that it might give him more guarantees about gaining regular gametime again as he looks to rediscover his flow.

Galatasaray’s plan would be to pair him up with his compatriot – and former Arsenal midfielder – Lucas Torreira in a central combination.

Bentancur unlikely to leave Tottenham

Tottenham still have Bentancur under contract until 2026, so would not be under any kind of time pressure if they decided to sanction a six-month loan spell for him elsewhere.

That said, it seems unlikely they would agree to his temporary departure while they run the risk of being depleted in his position – especially when Bentancur has earned good reviews since his arrival from Juventus.

The 26-year-old has made 46 appearances for Tottenham so far and is now approaching the peak years of his career. After an admittedly indifferent spell in Serie A, there is more enthusiasm for him in the Premier League, so it seems he could be spending his prime in the right surroundings.

At this stage of his reintegration into the Tottenham setup, Bentancur should not be panicking too much about his gametime. Rather than rush him, Postecoglou will have to phase him in for his own good.

Therefore, it seems unlikely that he would go to Turkey on loan, but that has not stopped a belief growing there that it might be possible.

Other than Ndombele and Torreira, a move to Galatasaray would reunite Bentancur with defender Davinson Sanchez, whom Spurs sold in the summer.

READ MORE: Bologna eye up loan deal for Tottenham summer signing whose lack of minutes could prove key