Roberto De Zerbi has had a big part to play in Lucas Bergvall making up his mind to leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
It has been widely reported that Bergvall remains determined to seek a new challenge away from Spurs, with the midfielder thought to be prioritising getting regular game time in his preferred number eight role next season.
The Swede has been widely backed to seal an exit from N17 over the coming weeks, which is not a decision that will be universally popular among Spurs fans.
That may be down to the fact that Tottenham have broken their transfer record twice to add two midfielders to their squad this summer, but another factor has also played a part in the 20-year-old’s decision.
Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has not spoken to Lucas Bergvall all summer
The Standard reveals that Bergvall has had no contact with De Zerbi since the end of last season, either during the World Cup or even after Sweden were knocked out of the competition.
The report says that Tottenham have made no attempts at all to persuade Bergvall to change his stance after he informed the club that he wants to leave.
Not hearing from De Zerbi about his future is understood to have cemented the youngster’s belief that he is not in the Italian’s plans.
The midfielder has thus come to the conclusion that he needs to leave Tottenham to prevent his career from stalling.
The race for Bergvall is intensifying after two rejected offers
Spurs have already rejected offers from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle for Bergvall, with the Magpies failing with a £46m bid for the young midfielder.
Fabrizio Romano has claimed that both Forest and Newcastle continue to be locked in talks with Tottenham over the 20-year-old.
Some sources have said over the last couple of days that Eddie Howe’s men could return with a €60m (£51m) offer for Bergvall.