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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall has been urged by Swedish journalists Mattias Eckerman and Fredrik de Ron to take a step down in club stature rather than chase a bigger move.
Despite extending his Tottenham contract until the summer of 2031 in April, the 20-year-old has now asked to leave N17 after assessing Roberto De Zerbi’s transfer plans and concluding that regular minutes will be hard to come by.
That comes despite the midfielder previously praising the Italian, insisting De Zerbi played a major role in keeping Spurs in the Premier League last season.
The Sweden international, who recently became his country’s youngest-ever World Cup debutant, is valued at around £45m, with Tottenham unwilling to sanction a departure for anything less.
AC Milan are interested but are said to face difficult negotiations, while Nottingham Forest continue to keep the Spurs midfielder high on their shortlist.
Napoli have also shown interest, although Tottenham’s asking price has so far proved a stumbling block for the Italians.
Eckerman stressed that Bergvall should prioritise joining a club with the right environment for his development rather than taking a step up in stature.
He added that clubs who finished above Tottenham, such as Brighton and Nottingham Forest, could provide a more suitable platform for the 20-year-old’s development despite being a step back.
Eckerman said in the VM Direkt studio on Fotboll Direkt: “It’s a very nice environment for players to develop in.
“He shouldn’t go up in terms of club size but maybe a little bit downwards, if you can say that about Brighton and Nottingham who both came before Tottenham last season.
“These are clubs that are doing better at the moment.”
De Ron also urged Bergvall to avoid a move to Chelsea for now, despite the Blues’ January approach, citing uncertainty over the club’s direction under new manager Xabi Alonso.
“If I were Lucas Bergvall, I probably wouldn’t choose Chelsea, mainly because it’s still quite unclear what’s happening at that club.
“Xabi Alonso is coming in as the new manager after the summer, and you don’t really know what he wants to do with this Chelsea team or whether there’s a place for Lucas Bergvall”
With De Zerbi pushing to bring in Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali and West Ham United‘s Mateus Fernandes this summer, with the latter ‘very close’ to agreeing personal terms, competition for places in Tottenham’s midfield is only set to intensify.
Tonali is also said to be taking ‘big steps towards Tottenham’, with Spurs expected to pay around £100m, meaning any fee raised from Bergvall’s departure could help soften the financial outlay.
Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram has also been linked with a move to north London, adding to the growing list of midfield targets.
Now all eyes will be on where Bergvall does end up, with the Swede keen to move.
