Tottenham transfer news: PSG close in on Tanguy Ndombele loan

Spurs want at least one new signing this month; club are continuing talks over a deal for Porto winger Luis Diaz; Sky in Italy say a loan for Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat is being discussed; Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso looking to be offloaded; Japhet Tanganga is to stay at Spurs

By Lyall Thomas

Image: Tanguy Ndombele is expected to return France on loan after just six Premier League starts

Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on a deal to sign Tanguy Ndombele on loan from Spurs with an option to buy.

Valencia and Everton were also interested in the 25-year-old, but the midfielder wants to return to France and join PSG.

Image: Mauricio Pochettino will be reunited with Ndombele

Ndombele still has three-and-a-half years to run on the contract he signed with Spurs in the summer of 2019, when he joined in a club-record £63m transfer from Lyon.

But after just six starts in the Premier League this season, he has opted for a reunion with the manager that brought him to Spurs, PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Tanganga expected to stay | Conte wants to sign a centre back

Japhet Tanganga's Spurs future is clearer, however, with the defender expected to stay in north London this month despite interest from AC Milan.

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Image: Tottenham academy graduate Japhet Tanganga is set to remain at the club this month

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte has told the 22-year-old and the club that he wants him in the squad following his recent performances in the absences of Cristian Romero and Eric Dier.

Tottenham are concentrating their efforts on improving other areas of the team and there does not appear to be any viable new centre-backs on the market for them this month that may have allowed Tanganga to go.

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In the long-term, Conte would like to bring in another top left-footed centre-half at Tottenham.

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However, centre-back Joe Rodon could leave on loan to get more game time before the window closes but he does not currently have a concrete option.

Spurs' Diaz talks continue

Tottenham are in talks to sign Luis Diaz from Porto, with the two clubs not far apart in their valuation of the highly rated Colombian winger

Tottenham are continuing talks over a deal for Porto winger Luis Diaz, with the club hoping to make at least one new signing before the transfer window shuts on Monday.

Sky Sports News reported earlier this week that Spurs had opened talks with Porto and are willing to pay up to £46m for Diaz.

Sources in Portugal suggest Spurs are prepared to offer £37.6m up front for Diaz, with an additional £8.4m in performance-related add-ons.

However, Porto are holding out for a fee of £50.2m for the 25-year-old, who has 16 goals and six assists in 28 games for the Portuguese side this season.

Sky in Italy are reporting that the north London club are also in talks to sign Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina on loan with a €16m buy option being discussed.

Image: Sofyan Amrabat is of interest to Spurs, according to Sky in Italy

Spurs are hoping to bring in at least one new signing this month regardless of whether they offload Dele Alli, Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso, although doing so could allow them to do more work to the squad.

Spurs and Alli are yet to find a suitable option for the player that will allow him to play regular games and try to resurrect his best form, although Everton may emerge as an option once they announce their new manager.

Meanwhile, Lo Celso does not appear to have a concrete option yet.

Analysis: Diaz deal would signal Spurs' commitment to Conte

Sky Sports' Declan Olley:

Tottenham fans have been here before. Paulo Dybala and Bruno Fernandes in the summer of 2019, and even Joao Moutinho way back in the summer of 2012. They were the nearly men. The big-name signings the club were sensationally set to pull off, only for them to fall through.

The false dawns have become all too familiar for Spurs fans and they are unlikely to settle for another repeat with Porto's Luis Diaz, and more importantly, nor will head coach Conte.

The next two windows are critical in the Italian's future at Tottenham. Back him and Spurs have the chance to get themselves back in the Champions League and start competing for honours. But fail to match his ambition and Tottenham will not just drift further from the elite, they will risk losing Conte.

Image: Antonio Conte has been Spurs head coach for nearly three months

A successful move for Diaz would prove Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is serious in backing Conte. A £46m deal for the Colombian, or even the £50.2m that Porto are holding out for, would be the second-most expensive signing in Tottenham's history.

The move makes sense on the pitch too. Spurs' reliance on Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son's goals is clear - 56 per cent of the team's goals in the Premier League since the start of last season have been scored by the pair. Diaz could bring the extra firepower the squad needs, having scored 20 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for club and country this season.

There is no doubt Diaz would be an exciting signing. But Spurs fans have been here before, and until he is wearing the shirt, they will continue to question the club's commitment in backing the best manager they could possibly have right now.

What could Diaz offer Conte at Spurs?

A quick glance at his headline stats in the Portuguese Primeira Liga this season suggests the 25-year-old provides serious goal threat - but also offers so much more.

The winger ranks top for goals, shots and touches in the opposition box and is among the elite for winning back possession in the final third, creating chances, attempting fast breaks, aerials, dribbling and passes in the attacking third.

The radar graphic below puts those strengths into perspective, with the Colombia international hitting the outer rim across a raft of attacking metrics - which represents the top five per cent of wingers in Europe's top leagues.

The maps below narrow down his goal threat to Champions League appearances over the past two seasons and reveal Diaz is most potent from his favoured left channel, frequently carving chances for team-mates with diagonals into the box.

Besides scoring goals, his most striking attribute is participation in overall play, with above-average numbers for passes in the final third - but the graphic below suggests Diaz also frequently tracks back to support the team.

When visualising his goal and passing averages, Diaz emerges among an elite crop of players in Europe's top leagues, with returns on par with Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah.

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His heat map below emphasises his work-rate with concentrations of activity in his defensive half, while his ability to reclaim possession high up the pitch would certainly suit a high-press style.

Follow Deadline Day with Sky Sports

The clock is ticking. Who will be on the move before the transfer window closes at 11pm on Monday January 31?

Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.

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