Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Fabrizio Romano claims Tottenham star’s exit virtually ‘done’ but surprise aspect of deal missing
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano claims that a deal for Tottenham full-back Sergio Reguilon to join Atletico Madrid is all but done.
The Spain defender has been completely frozen out by Antonio Conte so far this season and has been told he will not be part of the Italian’s plans going forward.
That has sparked a scramble for his signature with some Premier League clubs showing an interest, including Nottingham Forest.
However, it looks like Atletico Madrid have beaten Forest and Italian side Lazio to Reguilon’s signature.
Indeed, the LaLiga outfit are ready to make room for the 25-year-old by allowing Renan Lodi to join Forest.
Romano took to Twitter on Saturday evening to confirm the news on Reguilon.
However, there is some surprise that the initial loan has no obligation to buy included.
Atletico Madrid and Tottenham are checking contracts for Reguilón deal on loan, no buy option included. It’s matter of final details and then it will be done. 🚨⚪️🔴 #Atleti
Atletico are waiting for Renan Lodi to agree personal terms with #NFFC then Reguilón will join. pic.twitter.com/ZnLaqD1QX7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 27, 2022
Moving back to Spain will give Reguilon the opportunity to rediscover his best form.
The left-back was outstanding on loan at Sevilla before joining Tottenham in the summer of 2020. Indeed, he was so highly regarded that Real Madrid inserted a buy-back clause.
But despite making a bright start to life in north London, Reguilon’s form faded quite badly.
He ended up being third-choice behind Ryan Sessegnon and Matt Doherty for the left-sided spot in Conte’s team.
Ivan Perisic’s summer arrival made Reguilon’s plight even worse and it now looks like a return to Spain return is happening.
Reguilon never fulfilled his promise
Sergio Reguilon will feel like one that got away for the majority of Tottenham fans.
It looked like a real steal of a signing when he first arrived and that early form was so promising.
However, Reguilon did tend to struggle against the better Premier League teams and his defensive qualities were often exposed.
Moving to a wing-back system under Conte should have suited the player down to the ground. But for whatever reason, the Italian has never come round to the idea of using Reguilon’s attacking strengths in that position.
It’s also a bit surprising that Spurs are not looking to sell, given Conte’s stance on the player.
At this stage, it looks as if Reguilon will head back to Spain and then go back to square one when pre-season starts again next summer.
But one thing the Spaniard will hope to benefit from is more game time ahead of the Qatar World Cup later this year.
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