Roberto De Zerbi said he is prepared to let Lucas Bergvall leave Tottenham this summer as he pushes for a move away from north London.
There have been plenty of new arrivals at Tottenham in the early days of the transfer window, but Bergvall is in line to be among the first departures. Standard Sport understands he has submitted a transfer request in the hopes of improving his playing time and finding opportunities to play as a No8, his preferred position.
Tottenham have received plenty of interest in the player and rejected bids from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle.
Bergvall, though, has his heart set on a move, and De Zerbi is ready to let that happen, saying he only wants to work with players who have bought into his project.
Speaking from Auckland, where Tottenham are on pre-season tour, De Zerbi began: “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.”
Bergvall, whose contract runs until 2031, is understood to have been frustrated this summer by a lack of contact with De Zerbi, leading to the belief that he is not in the Italian’s plans.
In spite of that, he has made the trip to New Zealand with his team-mates for pre-season, and De Zerbi said he plans to hold talks with the player in the coming days with an eye to resolving the situation in a way that suits all parties.
“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).”
Bergvall is thought to be open to a move anywhere in Europe, but hopes to stay in the Premier League.
Tottenham face A-League champions Auckland FC in their second pre-season friendly of the summer in the small hours of Sunday morning for UK viewers, with subsequent matches booked against Sydney FC and Chelsea.
