Tottenham may be open to letting Dele Alli leave the club, according to reports.
The midfielder hasn't featured in the Premier League since being taken off at half-time in last month's North London derby loss at Arsenal, with his only football since then 150 minutes in the Europa Conference League.
Things seemingly went from bad to worse for Dele as he was left out of Spurs' squad for their Carabao Cup Round Four win over Burnley on Wednesday night - with details as to why thin on the ground.
Ahead of Saturday's league meeting with Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo moved to try and clarify the situation, saying: "Dele is one of the cases we have to try and improve.
"We have a training session tomorrow [Friday] and we will assess all the players like we always do.
"They are our players, so anything is possible; this is my answer."
Ok, so it's actually about as clear as mud.
What is obvious to anyone who's taken even a passing interest in Spurs' recent fortunes, though, is that, save for a brief glimmer at the very beginning of Nuno's time in charge, Dele has not been himself for quite a while.
Largely frozen out by Jose Mourinho, who called him "lazy" right to his face (as captured on the 'All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur' Amazon Prime series), the former England international has endured a torrid couple of years - although he did also appear to be on the decline towards the end of Mauricio Pochettino's tenure, as his goals and assists figured declined sharply.
It was only in March 2018 that Pochettino labelled Dele the best 21-year-old player in the world - but fast-forward three-and-a-half years and, according to The Athletic, a departure has become increasingly likely.
A fresh start does feel like the most logical, beneficial and inevitable outcome for both parties at this point.
Could Dele get his career back on track in pastures new and return to the world-class performance levels he showed a few years ago?
At this very moment in time, it's hard to see that - but football is dotted with stories of great comebacks from greater adversity than his.
A joy to watch at his best, you'd have to be a right curmudgeon (or Arsenal fan) not to want to see that again.
Subscribe to FourFourTwo today and get three issues delivered for just £3.
Restock your kit bag with the best deals for footballers on Amazon right now
ALSO READ
LIST Football Manager 2022: All the FM22 wonderkids you'll need to sign
TALENT FIFA 22: The 150 best wonderkids in the game
GUIDE Best football gifts: Present ideas for football fans
