Tottenham & PSG in talks for Ndombele, with new interest from Atletico Madrid

Yesterday we reported in burgeoning interest from Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG for Tanguy Ndombele. Today, we’re getting more information about how that might work. According to Julien Maynard, Fabio Paratici is in discussions to send Tanguy back to France for a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino, with PSG paying all of his wages and with an option to buy. But PSG is trying to include another player in the exchange.

For those of you who don’t speak French, here’s a rough translation.

On Tanguy Ndombélé: PSG wants to bring him in and is in talks with Tottenham. But the Parisian club wants to make an exchange.

For the moment, it’s complicated insofar as no midfielder in the PSG squad wants to leave.

[Leandro] Paredes refused to be traded, as revealed yesterday.

In addition to Italy (Roma and Naples), Tanguy Ndombélé has interest from Spain and Germany. However, his priority remains PSG.

It’s curious as to why PSG seems so keen on including a player that doesn’t want to leave the club as part of any deal for Tanguy. PSG are made of money, they can simply buy him and shuttle off any unwanted midfielder that they choose. There’s no real reason why they need to try and shoehorn Leandro Paredes or any other of their current stable of midfielders into any potential deal, and it sure seems like Antonio Conte and Paratici isn’t especially interested in anything they’re offering right now.

PSG’s midfield is old as dirt and I’m sure they’re viewing this as a chance to offload some “dead weight,” but come on. Julian Draxler and Mauro Icardi are both talented players but are fast careening towards the wrong side of age 30 (plus Icardi is the worst kind of messy human being). Angel di Maria is 33 years old and making God’s own wages. I’d obviously take Achraf Hakimi, but lolll. Straight cash, homie. Or at least a nominal fee plus getting Tanguy’s wages off the books would be fine.

It’s not clear where the interest from Germany is coming from — that’s new as far as I’m concerned. But that interest from Spain? That’s apparently Atletico Madrid, as per L’Equipe.

It’d be nice to get some sort of Tanguy replacement in during this window, but it doesn’t seem critical at this stage. What would be wonderful — and I’m saying this as a long time Ndombele backer who is heartsick over what has happened — is just ending this whole saga in the next ten days so everyone can heal.