Mauricio Pochettino convinced Tanguy Ndombele of a move to Tottenham after a discussion with the player about the future of the club and their ambitions going forward.
That is according to journalist Hugo Delom of French newspaper L’Equipe , who believes Spurs and Ndombele’s current team Lyon are close to agreeing a deal worth around €80m in total for the transfer.
Ndombele has also been linked to the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, but he was apparently hugely impressed with Pochettino, who convinced him that Spurs can challenge to win the Premier League next season.
The 22-year-old also travelled to London to visit Spurs’ facilities and left clear in his mind that it was the right club for him to join.
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Negotiations are still ongoing between Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, but an agreement is said to be getting closer, with Levy allegedly trying to get the price down to between €70m and €75m.
If he does join Ndombele would represent a coup for Spurs, with the player among the most highly rated young central midfielders in Europe.
He played 33 times in Ligue 1 last season and also impressed in the Champions League when Lyon went up against heavyweights such as Manchester City and Barcelona .
Spurs see Ndombele as a replacement for their once-influential ex-player Mousa Dembele, who moved to Chinese club Guangzhou R&F in January.
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It remains to be seen if there is any twist in the tale, with a late bid for the player by a European titan not out of the question.
But Ndombele is believed to see regular playing time and Champions League football as his top priorities, both of which Spurs can offer, as he looks to break into the France squad for EURO 2020.
So far he has only won four caps for his country, and was not involved in France’s World Cup triumph in Russia last year.
