According to RMC Sport (h/t GFFN), Inter Milan aren’t giving up on Tanguy Ndombele and are expected to make another approach for the Tottenham midfielder this summer. Daniel Levy has rejected every attempt from Inter to land his signature, however, so the Nerazzurri don’t stand a chance of bringing Ndombele to Italy.
There’s more news on Ndombele too with L’Equipe (h/t GFFN) reporting that the Frenchman has tested positive for Covid-19. He will not be called up to the national team and has been placed on a 14-day quarantine. That could kill Inter’s hopes of making significant progress, so time will tell if they return in the coming days.
Levy wants to keep Ndombele even if Mourinho doesn’t
It’s no secret that Jose Mourinho isn’t the biggest fan of Ndombele. He’s been public in his criticism of the 23-year-old and only handed him five Premier League starts from a possible 25 since replacing Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 – Ndombele amassed 431 minutes from a possible 2250.
Mourinho wants high levels of industry from his midfielders to turn over possession, but Ndombele has been dribbled past once every 78 minutes in the league and gave away one foul every 72 minutes. He’s found himself behind Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko in the pecking order, but Daniel Levy has no desire to sell him.
We only signed Ndombele 12 months ago for a club-record fee, so it’s unlikely we would make our money back this summer. The 23-year-old has a lot to prove and will be given a chance to prove his worth in 2020/21.
What’s the latest on Ndombele’s fitness?
Ndombele being in quarantine for testing positive for Covid-19 means he will miss France’s internationals against Sweden and Croatia. The midfielder could also miss some of our pre-season friendlies too.
According to 90min, Ndombele is recovering from a hamstring injury in France, which kept him out of our 3-0 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday. Having Covid-19 on top of that isn’t ideal and now means he’s having to stay isolated and keep any working out to the confines of his own property.
Summary
Ndombele hasn’t been at his best, but Levy believes there is more to come and doesn’t want to sell him so soon. Whether Mourinho gives him a lot of opportunities next season remains to be seen, however.
In other news, Tottenham are closing in on signing Matt Doherty