Tottenham Hotspur have rejected an initial loan offer tabled by Fiorentina for Giovani Lo Celso, according to The Times.
The Argentine was left back in London while Antonio Conte’s squad travelled to South Korea last week for the double-header in Asia, leaving him under no illusion that his future lies away from N17 (Daily Mail).
Spurs are said to want to pocket a fee in the region of £20million for the midfielder who has attracted interest from Villarreal and Fiorentina.
He was on loan at Unai Emery’s side last season, where he played a key part in helping the Yellow Submarine to reach the semi final of the Champions League.
Fiorentina are claimed to have revised their proposal by offering an initial loan deal which would also include the option to make the deal permanent for £15million, however, Tottenham prefer to outright sell the former Real Betis player for a fee closer to their valuation.
Our View
It is pretty well-known at this point how Conte utilises a preferred system that has two midfielders in his lineup. He has plans to bring in another creative attacking addition (Evening Standard) which could suggest that he wants a number ten in his squad.
Lo Celso’s potential departure would be perfect for us in that regard, as he has never played consistently for us in that particular role. The 26-year-old is eager to re-join the Yellow Submarine “no matter what” (El Periódico Mediterráneo) after enjoying a successful time with them the last time around.
That raises doubts over whether the South American ace would accept the Italian side’s proposal even if we reach an agreement with them. They have not matched our valuation just yet, and there is no reason to lower our demands, especially when Lo Celso has performed well for Villarreal and Argentina for quite some time.
In any case, the La Liga side appears to be the likely destination for the Tottenham outcast as of now, but they would need to match our asking price. Lo Celso is their primary target for this summer (AS), plus they are looking to facilitate some exits to raise some funds, which could see them meet our price tag in the end.
