Journalist Pete O'Rourke has made a fresh behind-the-scenes claim involving Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele and manager Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Days numbered?

Recent reports suggest that Spurs' club-record signing may well be on the way out of north London permanently this summer as Conte makes his decision.

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The Evening Standard and Football Insider both back that Tottenham's manager doesn't see a future for Ndombele at N17, so much so that the Lilywhites will entertain offers from clubs to take him off their hands permanently.

Ndombele parting company may well be a determining factor in Conte having money to spend this summer as the club aim to boost their transfer kitty as much as possible.

The Latest: O'Rourke makes fresh Ndombele claim...

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O'Rourke believes there may have been a behind-the-scenes fall out with Conte, with the pair not seeing 'eye-to-eye'.

He explained: “It seemed him and Conte didn’t see eye-to-eye, so they tried to rush through this January loan move back to Lyon, which was the only move they could do.

“In the summer it will give them maybe more time to explore and see if they can seek a permanent exit. It’ll all come down to price and what Spurs are looking for, but I’m sure there will be interested clubs and Lyon would love to make it permanent.”

The Verdict: Time to sell...

The France international will continue earning a salary of around £10,400,000-per-year upon returning to Spurs from his loan, if Lyon don't make his move permanent.

An arguable drain on Spurs' wage bill an overall funds, it is in transfer chief Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy's best interest to successfully negotiate a sale as one of their first actions of the summer window.

His ability is obvious, with Tim Sherwood calling Ndombele a 'maverick' and Son Heung-min once branding the midfielder 'unbelievable', but his skills have always been marred by questions surrounding his application.

In other news: Conte personally approves 'monster' player move as Tottenham take pre-summer action, find out more here.