Lucas Bergvall has asked to leave Tottenham this summer, with the 20-year-old midfielder looking for a clearer route to first-team football. He has played just 112 minutes under Roberto de Zerbi and started only one of De Zerbi's six games in charge. That is the backdrop to the exit talk, even if the discussion around his next step is still at the exploration stage rather than a completed move.

The playing-time problem

Sky Sports' Michael Bridge said the squad around him has looked thin, especially after January, when injuries piled up. That thinness has not translated into a bigger role for Bergvall. BBC Sport reported that the midfielder is exploring his options after limited minutes at the end of last season, often not in his preferred position as a number six.

The role point matters because it is not just about raw game time. Bergvall still managed 33 games for Spurs last season, but that did not give him a settled place in the side. The numbers under De Zerbi are much harsher: 112 minutes overall and one start in six matches. For a 20-year-old trying to build momentum, that is not much of a case for staying put.

The clubs already in the frame

Bergvall's representatives are believed to have held talks with Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea. BBC Sport also reported that Chelsea are no longer interested after briefly exploring a move in January, which narrows the picture a little without closing it down completely.

Villa and Forest remain in the mix, and both offer a different kind of next step. Villa's recent run of WWWDW looks far more settled than Forest's DLDWL, which hints at why some options are more attractive than others. Tottenham's own situation only adds to the uncertainty around where Bergvall fits next. The club had an about £80m offer for Sandro Tonali rejected by Newcastle, and Jan Paul van Hecke has already been brought in for £52m.

The key point is not that Bergvall is gone already. It is that he is looking elsewhere because he has not been given enough of a role at Tottenham, and the clubs around him are already being sounded out. The next stage will be whether one of those options turns into a deal before the summer window moves on.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →