‘Still unclear’: £26.4m Tottenham man’s future at the club is still very much up in the air – Jacobs

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Tottenham Hotspur have plenty of work to do in the January transfer window as they look to secure a top four finish.

Journalist Ben Jacobs spoke to Last Word on Spurs to detail all the goings on in north London right now.

Manager Antonio Conte will be hoping to add a couple of new faces to his squad.

However, there’s also plenty of potential for players to head in the opposite direction.

A new attacking player and a right wing-back seem to be at the top of the agenda over the coming weeks.

Sporting CP’s Pedro Porro looks like the only likely incoming right now, but plenty can change in January.

There are also a number of first team players currently away from the club on loan right now.

Their Tottenham careers will need to be discussed and decided in the coming months before the summer.

One player whose future is unclear at the moment is midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

After Conte made it clear last year that he was surplus to requirements at Spurs, the French international joined Napoli on loan.

The Italian side are having a fantastic season, with Ndombele certainly playing his part in that.

Whether or not his long-term future is at Spurs, in Naples, or elsewhere, appears to be up in the air.

Ndombele’s future is still unclear

Speaking on the Last Word on Spurs podcast about the 26-year-old, Jacobs said: “I think with Ndombele it’s a case of mixed intel to be perfectly honest with you.

“A few people might have seen over the course of last 24, 48 hours a bit of a fallout there, and that might alter the situation.

“He’s obviously at a club in great form at the moment, he’s played I think 14 [15] games in Serie A.

“That comes off the back of that loan spell at Lyon that he had as well.

“So, we’re going to have to wait and see on that one whether or not Napoli choose to exercise their option to buy, which I believe it set at around €30m [£26.4m].

“I think that when that deal was done, I was always told that Tottenham were relatively confident that the option to buy was going to be activated.

“The situation at the moment with Ndombele is genuinely still unclear, certainly from people that I speak to.”

French outlet Foot Mercato said before the New Year that Napoli wanted to discuss Ndombele’s fee.

There was clearly a feeling that his loan move had been a success and they would like to keep him at the club.

However, more recent developments now mean Ndombele’s future is unclear, after he appeared to have a row with manager Luciano Spalletti.

The context of their disagreement is unknown; however, Spurs will be hoping it doesn’t affect any future negotiations.

Conte is very unlikely to want to try and re-integrate Ndombele into the fold at Tottenham at the end of the season.

Finding a permanent solution in the summer seems to be the best possible outcome for both parties.