Tanguy Ndombele may now have to cast his eye over a move to Spain should he wish to depart Tottenham Hotspur this month.
It seems almost certain that the midfielder will be departing north London in January having fallen out of favour under Antonio Conte and being booed off the pitch by fans in his most recent start for the club, with a move to Italy on the cards.
A reunion with former boss Jose Mourinho at Roma seemed likely, while Napoli were also reportedly interested in the Frenchman.
But Ndombele’s high wage bill could cause problems for Roma, while the 25-year-old has little interest in a move to Napoli, and now it appears that an escape to Spain could be the next best solution, according to L’Equipe.
Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy intends to sell the player this month but is aware of the difficulties this situation could present, meaning the club may have to settle for a loan move until the summer.
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Levy is keen to offload Ndombele this month and the Frenchman has been training alone since Wednesday, which suggests that an end to his reign in north London is getting closer.
And early reports suggested that a move to Italy was on, especially with Mourinho keeping a close relationship with Ndombele ever since he took over as Roma boss ahead of this season.
However, L’Equipe understands that Roma may not have the required finances to cover the cost of the 25-year-old’s wages.
On top of this, the midfielder has little intention of moving to Napoli.
The report goes on to state that a move to Spain could be next on the agenda, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid two potential destinations.
Barcelona are in financial turmoil and are in no better position than Roma are, although they did attempt to sign Ndombele three years ago and could potentially renew their interest.
The Catalan club have already signed Ferran Torres from Manchester City this month and were only just able to register him as a player once they freed up some space on their wage bill, suggesting that doing the same again for Ndombele could prove difficult.
L’Equipe also suggest that there could be the potential for Atletico Madrid to try their luck, although only on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Ndombele is said to have a good link with sporting director Andrea Berta, which has ‘never been broken’.
There are certainly options for Ndombele but he may have to take a pay cut should he seek an immediate move away.
Similarly for Spurs, they may have to lower their asking price in order to move their player on, although Levy is keen to make back at least some of the £50m-plus add ons that they paid for him.
This further raises the question as to whether he will have to leave on loan rather than permanently, meaning Spurs will have to wait until the summer for a potential suitor to pay their asking price.
