Tottenham intend to take up the option to sign Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent basis this summer, though the Swede is in the dark over his future.
Kulusevski joined Spurs on an initial 18-month loan deal from Juventus in January 2022, which expires next month. The club passed up the chance to sign him permanently for £26million last summer but the option remains valid this summer.
Had Spurs qualified for the Champions League this season, a mandatory £30m buyout clause would have been triggered but they finished eighth and missed out on Europe altogether.
Kulusevski cast doubt on his future after Sunday’s 4-1 win at Leeds, saying he is still unsure if his loan move will be made permanent this summer.
Kulusevski signing permanently was considered a formality under Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici but Spurs are still without a permanent manager or director of football, and acting head coach Ryan Mason said this month he was "not sure" if the Swede would be at the cub next season.
But Spurs are expected to take up an option that would automatically transfer Kulusevski onto a long-term contract that has already been agreed.
Asked if he would be staying at Spurs, Kulusevski told Standard Sport: "I've got to speak with the club, honesty we haven't had time to do that because it's been a very tough last few months. We all just tried to do our best and get as many wins as possible, so I will speak with the club and we'll see what the plan is from their side and from my side. We'll see.
"Of course I love the club but I have to speak with the club and see what their thoughts are and how the future is looking. We've still got to speak about that."
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Kulusevski was superb in the second half of last season, scoring five times and providing eight assists from February as Spurs finished fourth under Conte. But, in common with almost every one of his teammates except Harry Kane, he has struggled for consistency this term, scoring just twice in the League.
The Swedish international is confident that he will get better next term and says he can learn from Kane, who reached 30 League goals for the campaign in Sunday's 4-1 win over Leeds.
"A disappointing season but no regrets, I know I gave it my all," Kulusevski said. "I had one month where I struggled but that is normal. No players don't struggle.
"You want to keep that time as short as possible so when you're not in a good mood maybe you play badly in two or three games, and not a whole month. I have to be better in that aspect but I know I can do much more in the future. That's what Harry does, that's the most impressive thing - it doesn't matter how it goes for the team, he always scores.
"That's something as young players we have to grow. A million things can happen to the team but you always have to perform and that's what he does. I have to learn a lot from him in the mental aspect, absolutely.
"I've played with a lot of good players but he's for sure up there, especially in the final third and scoring goals. Of course he's very important, we all know that. He scored 30 goals in a tough season. It's greatness, honestly. He's been great."
If he is still a Spurs player next season, Kulusevski believes no European football for the first time since 2009-10 could potentially be a positive for the club after Aston Villa's win over Brighton booked their place in the Europa Conference League, despite the result at Elland Road.
"You can see [not being in Europe] in many different ways but one way is that we can only concentrate on the Premier League next year," he said.
"When you have too many competitions it's much harder. I know before I've played at clubs where we didn't play in Europe and then we played in the league against some teams that play in Europe and they were much more tired, so I think we can have a little edge in the Premier League.
"We have to rest a little bit now," he added. "It's been a very very long season with the World Cup also. You have to reset, forget about football for at least one week and let your mind breathe a little bit. Of course we're always positive about the future. We love what we're doing and at this club there's a lot of talent. And when there's talent, everything can happen."
