Tottenham's forgotten midfielder Tanguy Ndombele 'set for Spurs return as Napoli don't want to activate permanent loan clause'...but the Serie A leader's 'could re-enter negotiations' for the 26-year-old

Tottenham's forgotten man Tanguy Ndombele looks set to be on his way back to London in the summer as loan club Napoli reportedly don't want to make his move permanent.

Ndombele has made 25 starts since securing a summer move to Naples and scored his first Serie A goal in Sunday's 4-0 victory over Torino, but it looks as if his time in Europe will finish at the end of the season.

The 26-year-old hasn't been a regular in Napoli's set-up during their rise to the top of the Serie A standings and progression to the Champions League quarter-finals, but has been a useful squad player off the bench for the side.

Ndombele's original loan move to Italy included a £26million option to make the deal permanent in the summer, but that figure is too costly for the club to consider, according to Italian media outlet Il Mattino.

Napoli, however, could be interested in attempting to re-negotiate that rate for the midfielder and would apparently be keen to enter discussions with Tottenham's key transfer executives Fabio Paratici and club chairman Daniel Levy.

Tanguy Ndombele (middle) could see his time in Napoli come to an end at the conclusion of the season

A renewed loan deal or a lower transfer fee are two options that the Italian outfit are willing to discuss, with Tottenham likely to explore options for Ndombele's permanent departure.

Ndombele joined Spurs for £55million in 2019 but has struggled to find the form that first caused the Premier League club to spend heavily on his services.

His arrival was supposed to be the missing link in a Spurs side boasting ambitions of challenging for the Premier League title, but went on to make a total of 91 appearances and score just 10 goals. 

He featured under Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Antonio Conte, but neither was able to get the best out of him as complaints about his attitude to training continued to loom over his time in London.

Ndombele will be hoping that he can return to Italy after making 33 appearances across all competitions for Napoli.

Should he return to London then it would mark a second consecutive loan move that didn't materialise into a permanent departure after he was previously sent out to join Ligue 1 side Lyon.

But with Antonio Conte's future at the club in a precarious position after his weekend outburst criticising Tottenham, Ndombele could be given another chance to revive his English top-flight career.