Exploring ‘Tottenham Transfer News: Ndombele Meeting Arranged But Napoli Plan May Anger Daniel Levy’ Tottenham and Napoli chiefs are set to discuss the future of Tanguy Ndombele in January.
The 25-year-old’s upturn in form, combined with injuries to Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, saw him emerge as a surprise contender to make Didier Deschamps’ France World Cup squad before he narrowly missed the cut. Even so, prospects of a triumphant return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium appear slim, provided Conte is at the helm.
Spurs were back in Premier League action on Boxing Day in an entertaining game of two halves against London rivals Brentford. The Lilywhites fell two behind but clawed themselves back into the contest during the second half through Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Kane was denied a winner by the crossbar late on.
Tottenham Transfer News: Ndombele Meeting Arranged But Napoli Plan May Anger Daniel Levy
Tottenham has reportedly been called into a meeting with Napoli to discuss the future of Tanguy Ndombele, with talks planned just after the New Year. Spurs are braced to take a big financial hit on the Frenchman, who is on loan in Naples while still on the books in north London, but chairman Daniel Levy may not be too keen on a forthcoming squabble over price.
Ndombele showed flashes of quality in the white of Tottenham after completing a club record £63million signing from Lyon in 2019. It didn’t take long for the red flags to start showing, however, and his work rate was often scrutinised by supporters.
The appointment of Antonio Conte in 2021 was the beginning of the end for the former Ligue 1 star and a confrontation with fans, which saw him booed off during an FA Cup win over Morecambe, ultimately resulted in the midfielder being loaned to Lyon and then to Napoli in the summer.
Ndombele’s career looked to be entering a tailspin but he has found stability in Serie A with 18 appearances in all competitions this campaign. Foot Mercato claim that the Azzurri want to make the move permanent but they will first try to strike a bargain on their option to buy.
Levy and his Napoli counterpart, Aurelio De Laurentiis, are both known for being tough negotiators and the pair will reportedly be brought face-to-face with a London meeting scheduled early in the January transfer window.
The buy option at the end of the season-long loan currently stands at £26.4m – a fraction of what Spurs originally paid – but Napoli wants to push it even lower. It remains to be seen whether Levy will play ball or take his chances with a new buyer coming along after Ndombele’s steady few months in Italy.
Although clarity could be reached on Ndombele’s future, Conte played down hopes of a massive January window after the final whistle by claiming that the club do not need to go in search of a new centre-back.
“With central defenders we are good, we have to continue to work,” he said. “Cuti Romero comes back to training tomorrow. On one side, I’m a bit disappointed but on the other, we’re scoring a lot of goals and creating a lot.
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