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For reasons which haven’t always seemed obvious , Mousa Dembele potentially leaving Tottenham this summer is a real thing.

The player’s agent has spoken publicly and opened up a possible transfer, and there’s been no attempt to kill the story that Dembele could be exiting Spurs with a year left on his contract.

Early exit related comments were around the player’s fitness and whether he feels he should be signing a new contract with Tottenham. Turning 31 years of age this summer, Dembele isn’t exactly elderly in football terms, but if he feels his time on the pitch is ticking and more seasons at the highest level would be difficult then a move to cash-in at a Chinese club could make some sense.

And yet Dembele is being more strongly linked with a move to Serie A, where the football can be slower but not exactly pedestrian and where he’d be arriving as a big signing with a lot expected.

Napoli have been repeatedly linked, and Inter brought into the equation too. Italy’s Leggo newspaper say the Milan club’s owners have estimated Dembele’s value at €10m and suggest that’s the first offer.

But Tottenham want €30m, according to the same claims as well as previous ones, so either Inter have to treble their offer, or Spurs reduce their asking price.