Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino does not want midfielder Moussa Sissoko but a £26m price tag may make it difficult to Spurs to sell.

L’Equipe claim on Tuesday that Tottenham want to recoup most of the £30m they paid Newcastle for Sissoko, who is reportedly wanted by Marseille.

The same newspaper said last week that Sissoko’s relationship with Pochettino ‘borders on nothingness’; he started only eight Premier League games last season.

Marseille’s sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta is reported to have approached Sissoko’s representatives about a return to his native France and he was positive. He has a place in France’s national team to protect.

“We’ll have to see what’s best for me and try to make a choice. Next year is a World Cup year,” said Sissoko earlier this month.

Tottenham’s insistence on a £26m fee could scupper any move to France, with only PSG likely to pay that kind of price.