La Liga side Villarreal are reportedly closing in on a £20 million bargain swoop for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso this summer.
According to a report by Football Insider, Villarreal are in advanced discussions with Tottenham Hotspur over a permanent deal for 26-year-old Argentine midfielder Giovani Lo Celso this summer.
Lo Celso joined Tottenham from Real Betis in January 2020 after a successful season-long loan spell at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, the creative midfielder struggled to make an impression in his first full season as a Spurs player.
During his tenure at Tottenham, the 26-year-old has made 84 appearances for the Lilywhites, failing to demonstrate the quality he had shown for Argentina and Real Betis in the past. There were glimpses of brilliance here and there, but niggling injuries limited his prospects of impressing Antonio Conte, ultimately leading to his loan exit last January.
However, Lo Celso has enjoyed a solid spell at Villarreal, and it appears that he will continue there in the future following a successful loan spell with Unai Emery’s side. The 26-year-old hit the ground running on his return to Spanish shores, even though he boasts just two goal contributions from 22 outings.
However, Lo Celso’s role under Unai Emery transcends beyond that, as he was occasionally involved more in shot-creating actions that favour defensive stability over all-out attacking. He has done more than enough for the Yellow Submarine during his loan stint, having played a major role in their impressive run in the UEFA Champions League as well as their late surge in La Liga.
That seems to have urged Villarreal to sign the 26-year-old permanently, and they are now said to be close to reaching an agreement with Spurs. With no buy-out clause inserted in the loan deal that took the Argentine international to Estadio de la Ceramica, it was said that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy could be holding out for as much as £30 million with no apparent shortage of suitors for Lo Celso this summer.
But that does not seem to be the case anymore, as Tottenham will now settle for a cut-price fee closer to the £20 million mark. While it would be music to Villarreal’s ears, it shows that Spurs are ready to take a significant hit on their initial investment on the 26-year-old, as they themselves look to fill the coffers in a bid for a major squad overhaul to appease Conte.
It all makes sense as the attacking midfielder’s profile does not exactly fit into Conte’s 3-4-3 system with Dejan Kulusevski the third attacker. Lo Celso is not the only player Spurs are trying to move on. Tanguy Ndombele, who was loaned out along with Lo Celso in January, could also leave this summer but Lyon are unwilling to exercise the £60 million buyout clause included in the short-term deal.
Steven Bergwijn, Sergio Reguilon, Emerson Royal, and Harry Winks could also follow the duo out of the club in the upcoming window should suitable offers arrive for them as Tottenham aim to clear the deck to have a clear idea about the transfer budget.
