Dele Alli has reportedly decided he wants to join Paris Saint-Germain after Mauricio Pochettino identified him as his main transfer target.
The midfielder has fallen well out of favour under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, making just four league appearances in total this season.
Alli is therefore desperate to secure regular playing time and views a reunion with Pochettino – on loan – as an attractive proposition.
Spurs, though, are reluctant to sanction Alli’s exit with chairman Daniel Levy and Mourinho both in agreement that every squad player will be needed over the coming months – especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tottenham have a jam-packed schedule having reached the Carabao Cup final, while they are still in the FA Cup and Europa League.
They are also just six points behind Mourinho’s former side Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.
There is no lingering ill feeling between Alli and anybody at the club, but the former is understood to believe that leaving the club – at least on a temporary basis – is in his best long-term interests.
Further discussions are set to be held over the coming days, with a resolution expected in the near future.
However, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown says Spurs are within their rights to reject interest in their player and suggests Alli must prove his boss wrong.
He also believes Mourinho doesn’t think Alli can do the role he wants.
“You cannot believe the work [Tanguy] Ndombele does out of possession and I think that’s Dele Alli’s problem – Mourinho thinks he can’t do that job,” Keown explained.
“Yes, of course when he has the ball that’s a different matter and he can be equally as good as Ndombele.
“Ndombele is underrated and is integral to the tactics Mourinho likes to employ.”