Roberto De Zerbi has weighed in on the speculation over Lucas Bergvall’s Tottenham future and has revealed whether he wants the attacking midfielder to stay at the club.
The 20-year-old Tottenham star is quickly emerging as one of the most sought-after young players in the Premier League.
The Lilywhites have already rejected offers from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle for Bergvall, with the Magpies failing with a £46m bid for the youngster.
Over the last 48 hours, reports have indicated that Brighton are now preparing a club-record offer for the Spurs midfielder, who is valued by the Lilywhites at close to £60m.
Roberto De Zerbi does not want to keep players who are not proud to play for Tottenham
According to various reports, Bergvall has informed Tottenham that he wants to leave if he is not guaranteed minutes during the upcoming season.
De Zerbi has now made it clear that if any player in the Spurs squad is not happy to stay at the club and fight for his place, he will not stop them from leaving.
When asked about the speculation over Bergvall’s future, the Tottenham boss said (via Football.London): “Listen, I was very clear at the start of my time in Tottenham. I said ‘Who doesn’t want to stay in Tottenham, who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave’. I want proud players who are happy to stay here and to go on the pitch at Tottenham Stadium with a big motivation. If you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference. The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team.”
De Zerbi says he will be happy if Bergvall wants to stay
The Tottenham boss clarified that he still has not spoken to the Sweden international about his future, admitting that he plans to do so over the next few days.
De Zerbi made it clear that while he will be happy if Bergvall stays, the club will find a solution in the transfer market if the youngster asks to leave.
The Italian added: “I have not spoken with Lucas yet, I will in the next days. And we will make the best decision for the club, for Lucas, for me, for every one of us. Without problems, Lucas is a big, big talent. There will be a big competition to play because at the end I think we will be two players for each position.
“If he wants to stay, I will be happy. Otherwise, we have to find a new solution with Johan Lange, with Vinai (Venkatesham). It’s not my business after the decision to leave (if that happens).”