Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in discussions with Villarreal over a proposed loan exit for midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
The 25-year-old is believed to be surplus to requirements under head coach Antonio Conte and is expected to leave the club this summer.
Ndombele started eight of his 11 appearances for Spurs in all competitions under former boss Nuno Espirito Santo during the first three months of last season, but he only started four times under Conte before joining Lyon on loan in January.
The Frenchman became a regular for the Ligue 1 outfit during the backend of the 2021-22 campaign and started 11 of his 14 appearances, with his only goal coming against West Ham United in the Europa League quarter-finals.
However, Lyon – who sold Ndombele to Spurs for around £65m in the summer of 2019 – have opted against re-signing the midfielder on a permanent deal, leaving the player's future up in the air heading into the final three-and-a-half weeks of the transfer window.
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A report at the beginning of this month claimed that Spurs were in talks with Villarreal over a possible swap deal involving Ndombele and left-back Pervis Estupinan.
However, journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that a loan move for Ndombele with an option to buy is currently being discussed between to two clubs.
Romano adds that the buy-option clause being discussed could become mandatory if the midfielder achieved various performance-related targets with the Yellow Submarine.
Ndombele, who has three years remaining on his contract in North London, has also attracted interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray, but Villarreal are believed to be leading the race for his signature at present.
It is thought that Ndombele is keen to test himself in a new league such as La Liga or Serie A, which rules out a potential return to France as well as remaining in England.
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Ndombele is not the only Spurs player who could be heading to Villarreal, as Giovani Lo Celso is reportedly closing in on a return to the Spanish outfit where he spent last season on loan.
After struggling for game time in North London, the 26-year-old joined the Yellow Submarine on a temporary basis in January and became a first-team regular under Unai Emery.
Lo Celso eventually featured 21 times for Villarreal in the second half of the 2021-22 campaign, including six appearances in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
Romano claims that Villarreal are edging closer to completing a move for Lo Celso which could also be an initial loan deal with an option to buy.
The Argentina international, who joined Tottenham from Real Betis in 2019, has recorded eight goals and six assists in 84 appearances for the club across all competitions, and has three years remaining on his current deal.
Oliver Thomas
