Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal are currently engaged in talks over a potential move for Giovani Lo Celso in this summer transfer window, according to Spanish news outlet TodoFichajes.
Both parties are negotiating over an initial loan deal which would also include an obligation to buy the Argentine on a permanent basis next summer.
The midfielder had an impressive stint with the La Liga outfit last season having played a key role in their impressive run in the Champions League, following his switch in January.
Unai Emery and the 26-year-old are both said to be keen on the move, although there is a disparity between the current valuation. The Yellow Submarine are only willing to pay around €12-15million for the central midfielder, while Tottenham are demanding a fee in the region of €18-20million.
The report claims that both clubs are in line to reach an understanding and a deal could be reached by next week. This move is also helped by the fact that the former Real Betis player has made up his mind to return to Estadio de la Cerámica despite receiving better offers from elsewhere.
Our View
The north Londoners spent £27.2million in cash to prise away Lo Celso from Real Betis permanently back in 2020. He had joined us on an initial loan deal, which was made permanent in January (BBC). However, injuries and inconsistency have plagued him from reaching the heights he was expected to at N17.
That has likely played a part in the South American falling out of favour under Antonio Conte, who has deemed him to be dispensable ahead of the next season. That calls for the need to sell him at the earliest, as having a bloated squad is not wise either.
However, it would be best if we could recoup as much as possible from Lo Celso’s sale. After all, we did make a considerable investment to sign him, so we must hold our ground and regain at least a significant part of the money we had to incur in the past.
Fortunately, the Argentinian’s performances for the Yellow Submarine in the previous campaign give us some room during negotiations. Hence, raising more funds from Lo Celso’s transfer should be a priority as there are still plans to bring in a creative attacker, with another defender being a potential option (Evening Standard).
