A defender whom Tottenham Hotspur had no interest in listening to offers for earlier this summer could be in line for a shock exit.
The Spurs backline has changed considerably this summer, with the experienced quartet of Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka and Andy Robertson arriving through the door.
Cristian Romero is now nearing an exit from Tottenham, while reports indicate that Djed Spence may be on his way to Inter Milan.
It has now emerged that another senior Spurs defender could also be on his way to Serie A before the window slams shut.
AS Roma set for talks with Tottenham over Destiny Udogie deal
Fabrizio Romano reported at the start of the summer that Destiny Udogie is viewed as a key part of De Zerbi’s long-term project at Tottenham.
However, journalist Alfredo Pedulla has now explained that while the Italy international was considered ‘untouchable’ earlier this window, that is no longer the case.
He claimed that AS Roma are now set to hold talks with the Lilywhites over a deal to take the 23-year-old back to Serie A.
Pedulla wrote on X: “Roma will have further talks with Tottenham for Udogie. Up to a month ago, he was untouchable, but the situation is changing. It depends on the deal structure.”
Have Spurs finally run out of patience with Udogie’s fitness issues?
While the former Udinese man is undoubtedly a top player when he is fit and firing, he has missed significant chunks of each of his three seasons at the club, and his fitness issues appear to be getting worse.
While Tottenham have not provided an update on the left-back’s current fitness levels, De Zerbi admitted that Udogie ‘couldn’t play’ against Chelsea in Sydney, which is why Andy Robertson had to play more minutes than planned.
Udogie’s continued fitness issues in pre-season, combined with Robertson’s impressive displays, may have convinced Spurs to listen to offers for the 23-year-old.