Tottenham Hotspur attacker Bryan Gil is reportedly pining for an imminent return to Valencia.
The 21-year-old has been on the fringes of Antonio Conte's team since joining from Sevilla in a €25m (£22.1m) deal during the 2021 summer transfer window.
Gil was loaned out to Valencia for the second half of the 2021-22 season, where he contributed one assist in 17 games after quickly becoming a regular for Los Che.
Since returning to Tottenham, the Spanish youngster has continued to play a peripheral role under Conte, with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura and Richarlison ahead of him in the attacking pecking order.
Another loan or permanent exit has been mentioned for Gil while he struggles for game time at Tottenham, who are under little pressure to sell for a cut-price fee due to his contract situation.
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Gil is not due to become a free agent until the end of the 2025-26 season, but according to Deporte Valenciano, the attacker is keen to secure a move back to Valencia.
The report adds that Gil has 'never hidden' his desire to represent Los Che again, but he would have to accept a significant salary reduction in order to seal a return to his homeland.
Rather than negotiate an immediate permanent move, Valencia would supposedly prefer to sign Gil on an initial 18-month loan with an option to make the deal permanent in 2024.
However, the financially-constrained Spaniards would still have to fork out between €25m (£22.1m) and €30m (£36.6m) to buy the ex-Sevilla starlet out of his Tottenham contract.
Gil has recorded one assist from 27 games for Tottenham in all competitions, but he is without a contribution from seven games across domestic and European tournaments in 2022-23.
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The attacker nevertheless earned praise for his efforts off the bench in a Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon earlier this term, and he made his first Premier League start against Aston Villa on New Year's Day.
Gil stepped in at the last minute for the injured Kulusevski, who missed out with a muscular problem, but he only lasted 63 minutes before being taken off in that 2-0 defeat.
However, Conte was left encouraged with the 21-year-old's performance, telling the press: "We have up front we had Bryan Gil who played a good game but he's a young player, and you need to give young players time to become stronger physically. I'm pleased from what I've seen from him today in the game."
Tottenham, who lie fifth in the Premier League table, will aim to get their Champions League charge back on track when they meet Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night.
Ben Knapton
