BARCELONA have offered Tottenham one of three stars in part-exchange for Tanguy Ndombele.
But Spurs are understood to want cash-only for their French flop.
Barcelona have offered Spurs a part-exchange deal for Tanguy NdombeleCredit: Reuters
The Catalans have offered Nelson Semedo and Samuel Umtiti as part of the deal
The Catalan giants are keen on signing Ndombele in what would be one of the shock deals of the summer.
But with cash in short supply at the Nou Camp, they cannot afford to meet Tottenham’s £55million valuation with a straight buy.
So they have said Spurs can have either centre-back Samuel Umtiti, right-back Nelson Semedo or midfielder Arthur plus cash in exchange for Ndombele.
The North Londoners are said to be unimpressed with the offer.
They signed the France midfielder from Lyon in a deal worth up to £65m last summer, but his poor displays in a Spurs shirt means he has failed to meet most of add-ons, so the fee so far has worked out at around £55m, which Tottenham want to recoup in cash.
With a new £1b stadium still to pay for, they would be pleased to get Ndombele’s £140,000-a-week wages off their balance sheet.
But the suggestion of bringing in one of those Barcelona players on even more pay, makes a part-exchange deal even more unlikely.
Arthur, valued at £48m, is also said to favour a switch to Inter Milan and if Spurs took one of the defenders it would leave them short in midfield and having to splash out on an expensive replacement.
Manager Jose Mourinho is said to want to sign a stronger defensive midfielder – which is why Spurs would want cash.
They are not actively looking to sell Ndombele but would be willing to do so if the right offer comes along.
He has made just 27 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring just twice and has had his attitude and fitness publicly questioned by Mourinho.
The player also told pals he was left “bemused” when his manager dragged him out of his apartment for an impromptu fitness session in a local park.
This resulted in the pair being slammed for break lockdown and social distancing guidelines issued during the current coronavirus crisis.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk