Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Paratici locked in advanced talks with Lyon over Tottenham transfer of £54m midfielder

Maxence Caqueret, Tanguy Ndombele, Olympique Lyonnais during Ligue 1 match v vs Stade Rennais

Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to plan ahead without Tanguy Ndombele with Fabio Paratici in talks over a new arrangement to extend his stay at Lyon.

The Frenchman, 25, became Spurs’ record signing when arriving from Lyon for £54.2m in 2019. However, a series of managers all struggled to prise the best out of the maverick midfielder. Under Antonio Conte, Ndombele’s chance came and went before being shipped back to Lyon on loan, in January.

As part of that exchange, a reported €65m option to buy was included.

A deal of that nature would seem extremely difficult to for Lyon to finance. Indeed, much of their chances seem to rely on Lyon qualifying for the Champions League. Were they to qualify, Spurs’ chances of offloading Ndombele permanently would also increase.

Sadly for Tottenham, however, Lyon are well back in the race for the top three in Ligue 1. Indeed, with 10 games to go, they currently sit eighth and are eight points adrift of Nice.

However, in an effort to get ahead of the curve, Paratici is already in talks with Lyon over a new arrangement.

New arrangement for Tanguy Ndombele

As per Jeuneus Footeaux, Lyon are keen to keep Ndombele next season. As such, the two clubs are looking at extending his loan into a second season. And while the €65m option would remain in place, it will be pushed back by a further 12 months.

And while the scenario is not ideal for Spurs, it would spare them much needed time and worry in the summer window.

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Ndombele has made a promising start to life back with Lyon. He has made four starts and has one assist to his name.

If he can recapture the sort of form that persuaded Spurs to sign him in the first place, it will be a deal that may suit all parties.

Tanguy Ndombele departed Tottenham in January, having played 91 times for the club, scoring 10 goals.

Lo Celso also open to Spurs exit

Another costly Tottenham addition, Giovani Lo Celso, has also opened the door on a permanent move away.

The Argentine midfielder, 25, moved back to LaLiga with Villarreal in the January window.

Indeed, he has already played more league minutes for the Yellow Submarine than he did for Spurs in the first five months of the season.

Ahead of Villarreal’s Champions League clash with Juventus on Wednesday, Spanish outlet Marca spoke with Lo Celso. The subject of his future was on the agenda, with Lo Celso directly asked about joining Villarreal for good.

Lo Celso said: “I try to enjoy the day to day, each training session, each match and, later, football and life will decide what is happening.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I do know that I’m working one hundred percent, that I’m going to give my best and we’ll see what happens in the summer.

“I knew that I was coming to a team that plays colourful football, which is the protagonist and I feel comfortable with that idea.

“I already knew the coach (Unai Emery) from PSG. [I] know how he works, what he can ask of a player and how he can make him perform.”

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