Tottenham transfer news: Roberto De Zerbi opens door to Lucas Bergvall exit after £46m rejection

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has opened the door to an exit for Lucas Bergvall and other Spurs players who are not happy in North London.

The Lilywhites are about to commence their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand with a clash against Auckland on Sunday, their second friendly of the summer following a 1-0 win over MK Dons.

New signing Mateus Fernandes struck the only goal in that behind-closed-doors contest, in which fellow arrival Sandro Tonali also made his debut, lining up alongside the Portuguese in the first half.

Fernandes and Tonali's arrivals spell bad news for Bergvall, who has been included in Spurs' pre-season tour squad following the World Cup but experienced a frustrating opening period under De Zerbi last season.

Bergvall did not start any of Tottenham's last six Premier League games in 2025-26 and was an unused substitute in their final two matches against Chelsea and Everton, leading him to consider a move away.

Roberto De Zerbi: 'Unhappy Tottenham players should leave'

After Bergvall stressed that he wants regular game time, Tottenham rejected a £38m approach from Nottingham Forest, before also rebuffing a £46m bid from Newcastle United.

While De Zerbi did not address the Bergvall rumours directly, the Italian affirmed in a recent press conference that any player who is not 100% committed to the Tottenham cause should head for the exit door.

"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," De Zerbi said.

"I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with big motivation. Because now in football, 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 was restricted to just 11 Premier League starts in the 2025-26 season - thanks also in no small part to a serious ankle issue - and has amassed a total of two goals and nine assists in 78 games for the Lilywhites in all tournaments.

Which other Tottenham players could leave this summer?

Bergvall is one of a handful of Tottenham players on tour whose futures are still up in the air, a list that also includes attacking trio Richarlison, Manor Solomon and Dane Scarlett.

Richarlison and Scarlett have just one year left to run on their contracts at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Solomon - recently returning from loan spells at Fiorentina and Villarreal - is in the last two years of his deal and is not thought to be in De Zerbi's long-term plans.

Meanwhile, Guglielmo Vicario was left out of Tottenham's pre-season tour squad due to an apparent minor injury, although fans were sceptical about the legitimacy of his problem while he tries to force an exit.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr were notable absentees from Spurs' tour squad too, with the Lilywhites stressing that the pair were given more time off to recover from the World Cup, yet Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven - last-32 participants with the Netherlands - were selected.

Cristian Romero is unlikely to feature in pre-season at all after helping Argentina reach the World Cup final, and the centre-back is another who is looking for a new destination for the new season.