Tottenham could struggle to offload Tanguy Ndombele on a permanent basis this summer, according to Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge.

Ndombele does not appear to be part of Antonio Conte's plans moving forward, but Bridge thinks it won't be easy to get rid of the Frenchman ahead of next season.

What's happened to Ndombele this season?

The 25-year-old started five consecutive league games under Nuno Espirito Santo in October and November, but quickly fell out of favour when Conte arrived in November.

He started just one top-flight match under the Italian coach, and was booed off the pitch by Tottenham fans during the team's FA Cup clash with Morecambe in January.

Later that month, he was sent out on loan to Lyon until the end of the season, and the Ligue 1 outfit have the option to buy him outright this summer.

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What has Bridge said about Ndombele?

Ndombele still has over three years remaining on his contract at Spurs, and Bridge has doubts about whether Lyon will be willing to pay a hefty transfer fee for the £200,000-per-week midfielder.

Bearing this in mind, Bridge has admitted that Ndombele could start next season back at Tottenham.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “The one I’m worried about is Ndombele. I think they could find it hard to get rid of him permanently. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re talking in August, and he’s still around.

“Because, I don’t see Lyon paying that money. That loan deal where they can buy him for about £50m. I remember at the time saying: ‘Lyon haven’t got that money’. That’s madness. So, he’ll need to do a lot to convince Lyon to pay.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s here in August. Tottenham might have to just bite the bullet again and loan him out.”

Will Tottenham manage to sell Ndombele this summer?

Tottenham will have hoped that Ndombele could go to Lyon and rediscover his best form to bump up his transfer fee. That way they could potentially recoup the majority of the £63m that they paid for him back in 2019.

However, Ndombele has hardly pulled up any trees back in his homeland, and, as things stand, it looks unlikely that Lyon will opt to sign him permanently when the season concludes.

It appears that the only way that Tottenham could sell Ndombele is if they significantly reduce their asking price for him, and accept that they are going to make a loss on the player.

If they are unwilling to do this, he will probably still be on their books at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, unless Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici agree to loan him out again.