Salvatore Bagni believes Tanguy Ndombele got ‘lost’ after signing for Tottenham Hotspur, but feels the midfielder can once again prove he is a top player by joining Napoli on loan.
Napoli set to sign ‘phenomenon’ Tanguy Ndombele from Tottenham Hotspur
Former Napoli midfielder Salvatore Bagni has told Il Mattino that the Serie A side are set to sign a ‘phenomenon’ on loan in Tottenham Hotspur outcast Tanguy Ndombele. The France international is heading for Italy for the season, after Antonio Conte shunned him at Spurs.
- WORLD CUP: ONE PLAYER TO WATCH FROM ALL 32 NATIONS AT QATAR
- WORLD CUP: TOURNAMENT RECORD OF FRANCE ICON ZINEDINE ZIDANE
Reports by Calciomercato claim Ndombele will carry out his medical with the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona outfit this Thursday. He will then pen a one-year deal with the Azzurri worth €1m (£850k), while Luciano Spalletti’s side will obtain a €30m (£25m) option to buy.
Tottenham will continue to pay the bulk of Ndombele’s £200k-a-week salary over his loan spell in Naples. Foot Mercato note Napoli are only due to pay €3.5m-a-year (£57k-a/w) of his wage, after the Evening Standard reported that Conte made clear he is not in his plans.
Ndombele has not featured for Tottenham since making his 91st appearance for the north Londoners in an FA Cup tie at home to Morecambe in January. The 25-year-old then spent the rest of last term on loan with his former side, Lyon, who Spurs paid £54m in July 2019.
Salvatore Bagni confident in the player his former side are hiring on loan
Tottenham’s deal with Lyon for Ndombele can also reach £63m with add-ons, but has only returned 10 goals and nine assists. Now, the seven-cap international is bound for a year in Serie A, and could return to north London next summer with two seasons left on his terms.
Bagni believes Napoli are signing a top player by loaning Ndombele from Tottenham, with an option to buy, though. The former Azzurri star is confident the Longjumeau-born star is still able to recapture the form that impressed him – and Spurs – at Lyon from 2017 to ‘19.
“Ndombele is a phenomenon,” Bagni said. “A top player will return to Naples. He is a very modern midfielder, in the sense that in addition to being technical and also physical. I started following him when he was in France, then he got a bit lost at Tottenham.
“But it can happen. At Napoli, he can return to very high levels because he has everything to be a great midfielder. He was what impressed me at the time of Lyon, and I’m sure he can still be that type of player.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
