Guglielmo Vicario continues to be linked with an exit from Tottenham Hotspur
The Tottenham Hotspur squad are jetting off to New Zealand on Thursday as part of their pre-season tour but Guglielmo Vicario is not among the travelling party.
Roberto De Zerbi has named a 35-man squad ahead of the club's second friendly of the season against Auckland FC on Sunday, July 26 at Eden Park. The following day Spurs will move over to Australia to start their preparations for a fixture against A-League side Sydney FC on Wednesday, July 29 before the third and final fixture of the tour against Chelsea on Saturday, August 1.
In their squad announcement on Thursday morning, Spurs said Vicario was not named among the traveling party after picking up a "minor knock" in training. Instead, the goalkeeper will stay behind at Hotspur Way to undergo treatment, the club confirmed.
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert were also not named in the pre-season tour squad but that was to be expected as they continue their recovery from long-term injuries. Elsewhere, due to their participation at the World Cup, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence were also not named.
Antonin Kinsky started the first half of Tottenham's behind-closed-doors friendly against MK Dons on Wednesday, with summer signing Martin Dubravka starting the second half. Both men are expected to get minutes during the pre-season tour, while Brandon Austin and 18-year-old shotstopper Dylan Thompson have also travelled to New Zealand.
The absence of Vicario will only fuel talk of a summer exit from the club. The 29-year-old has been tipped to leave the Lilywhites this summer with various interested clubs in Serie A.
The Italian has two years left on his contract at Spurs and Juventus, Inter and Napoli have all been linked with the Italy international. It's understood Kinsky is set to become the main man between the sticks for the north London club next season under De Zerbi with new arrival Dubravka as his number two, hence why Vicario has been deemed surplus to requirements.
The most likely destination at the minute looks to be Juventus for Vicario. The Serie A giants are in the market for a new goalkeeper and have also been eyeing Aston Villa stopper Emiliano Martinez.
It remains to be seen if Vicario does indeed travel to New Zealand or Australia but that seems unlikely due to the fact Tottenham have named four goalkeepers in the travelling squad. With the Premier League season starting in less than a month, both parties will want the situation resolved sooner rather than later.