Tottenham face setback in pursuit of Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele

Tanguy Ndombele

The 22-year-old has been identified by Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino as an ideal summer signing to strengthen his midfield.

However, the Guardian has reported that the north London club’s hopes of landing Ndombele’s signature have been complicated by Lyon’s demands.

Spurs value the player at around €50 million and Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas, like his Spurs counterpart Daniel Levy, has a reputation for being a hard bargainer.

The Premier League club have yet to make an official offer for the France international and could face stiff competition as Manchester City, Juventus and Real Madrid are among the sides to have shown interest.

The centre of the pitch is Pochettino’s priority in the market, after selling Mousa Dembele to China in January, and he would ideally like to bring in more than one midfielder.

Talks have been held with the representatives of Ajax’s Donny van de Beek and Roma teenager Nicolo Zaniolo, while Fulham winger Ryan Sessegnon is a further target.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.