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Lucas Bergvall's future remains open despite his minutes this summer under Roberto De Zerbi in Tottenham's pre-season. The 20-year-old's camp informed Spurs of the midfielder's wish to move on to a fresh challenge earlier this summer in order to ensure regular minutes to continue his development. football.london previously reported that Bergvall had grown frustrated at a lack of training time as a number eight last season, let alone playing time, while his starts dried up over the course of the campaign. As he went off to the World Cup with Sweden, Bergvall's fears over minutes next season under De Zerbi only deepened as Tottenham spent £185million on Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali as a new top level central midfield pairing on top of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher as the other players in the position in the squad. The north London club rejected offers from both Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United over the summer and when he returned to pre-season training, Bergvall, who only signed a new six-year contract last year, was taken on the club's tour to New Zealand and Australia. Despite being one of the later returnees from the World Cup, Bergvall has started most of the pre-season games since getting back into the action as De Zerbi has sought to involve him at every turn. FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page football.london understands there has been an appreciation from the player's side that De Zerbi has matched plenty of praise for him with a good amount of minutes in pre-season, even if there is a realisation that those minutes may not carry on into the actual season. The Swede is understood to have worked positively during the summer and rather than sulked over those rejected bids has got his head down and continued to push under De Zerbi, looking to try to develop in his number eight role as he wanted last season. He spent a lot of time on the club's summer tour with fellow 20-year-old midfielder Gray, who will also be concerned about his minutes this coming season although his ability to play across the defence will help him in that respect. Claims from Spain that Bergvall was offered to Barcelona, the team he turned down to join Spurs in 2024, have been dismissed by those around him. The young midfielder was named by the fans as the Tottenham player of the year in his first season at the club and maintains his affection for the supporters. Those close to the player say he is simply going to do his best and see where it takes him, looking for the confidence that comes with being valued. With the window still open for the next three weeks, Bergvall's transfer status has not changed with all options still open and no decision made either way. Spurs are unlikely to sell him unless their price tag is reached, with some reports that it could be upwards of £60million. De Zerbi made his feelings clear on the player during the club's pre-season tour. "I’m always being very clear with him and with you. I would like that he stays with us. I think he’s potentially a top top top player. But then I don’t want to convince anyone to stay," said the Italian. "Tottenham is already, without me, a top club and we are not to convince anyone to stay. He can find the space if he stays with us. "The competition within the players will be very strong because we are Tottenham and we have to build a strong squad. Not just 11 players. Especially considering a lot of injuries we suffered in the last two, three seasons. Football is going in a clear direction – to compete for the highest places in the table, you have to manage 22, 23, 24 players. I don’t want 24, but 21, 22, of a high level, for sure." The 47-year-old maintained that Bergvall has not told him personally that he wants to leave the club. "No, never. We are speaking better, face to face, without a competition in this moment. Now I started to work, like I know, my style. In the last season we prepared the game, we worked in the head, on the mentality, more than the style of play," he said. "His position is very clear for me now. I needed time to understand the characteristics of the players, but I would like that he stays with us. He’s very young, a very good player, a good guy. It’s not so easy so fast to find a young player of that level."