When Tottenham took the decision to let Tanguy Ndombélé leave the club on loan for Napoli, they made sure to include an option to buy in the deal.
It was quickly stated early on that the Serie A side had no intention of triggering it, with the €30m or so requested seen as far too much for a player clearly in decline, but that view has now changed.
While he hasn’t set the world alight in Naples, the Tottenham man has, however, impressed Luciano Spalletti and performed when called upon by his manager.
In fact, Il Mattino on Tuesday, relayed by Forza Azzurri, the Frenchman ‘seems to have convinced’ the Serie A side that keeping him beyond the current loan wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
It’s pointed out that ‘it could be useful for him to follow the same path’ as André-Frank Zambo Anguissa did, which was for him to arrive on loan, convince everyone and then get bought.
They then go against the grain and suggest Napoli always had a plan to try and buy the Tottenham midfielder, because they ‘never wanted to work for other clubs’, meaning they didn’t want to loan him, help him improve and then return him.
Still, Tottenham want ‘at least €25m’, and perhaps the Serie A side, in true fashion, ‘will try to ask for a discount’.
For that to happen, though, Ndombélé still has a bit of work to do, because that is a fair chunk of money for a club who, despite their success, aren’t as flush for cash as Premier League sides.
