Lucas Bergvall is still pushing for a move away from Tottenham Hotspur this summer, despite the club rejecting multiple bids for the Swedish midfielder. His representatives informed Spurs last month that he wanted a transfer, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the club's response.
Bergvall's positional frustration
Bergvall sees himself as a No8 and is disappointed with the lack of opportunities in that position at Tottenham, particularly since Roberto De Zerbi took charge. The midfielder struggled for minutes in the closing stages of last season, and Spurs have since signed midfielders Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes for significant fees, further blocking his path.
Nottingham Forest registered their interest in Bergvall and had an opening bid rejected. Newcastle United then saw their offer of £46 million turned down as well. It is believed that Bergvall would have been open to joining either club, and there was some surprise in his camp that Newcastle's approach was knocked back.
Internal acceptance of poor player sales
There is an acceptance internally at Spurs that the club need to become better at selling players and a desire to improve this summer. That was a key factor in letting defender Luka Vuskovic, who also informed the club that he wanted to leave, join Brighton in a £50m deal last week.
While there has been interest from elsewhere in Europe and Bergvall would consider his options, his preference is to stay in the Premier League. Bergvall is contracted at Spurs through to 2031 but has grown increasingly disappointed with the response to his transfer request.
No contact from De Zerbi
Standard Sport understands that Bergvall has had no contact with De Zerbi this summer, either during the World Cup or since Sweden were knocked out by France in the round of 32 on June 30. There have also been no attempts from the club to persuade Bergvall to change his stance after being informed he wanted a move.
Not hearing from De Zerbi since the end of last season is understood to have cemented Bergvall’s belief that he is not in the Italian’s plans and that he needs to pursue a move to prevent his career stalling.
Pre-season return expected
Bergvall was not in the group of Spurs players to begin pre-season training last week. He was given more time off after his involvement with Sweden at the World Cup and has been told to report back this week. Bergvall is expected to do so, and there is no suggestion that he will publicly agitate for a move.
However, he would like an exit to be agreed before Spurs travel to New Zealand for their pre-season tour. They face Auckland FC at Eden Park next weekend.
