Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly looking for a fee of €20 million for the services of Giovani Lo Celso amid interest from Villarreal.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur are open to selling Giovani Lo Celso following his impressive loan spell at Villarreal. But the Premier League giants won’t let the 26-year-old midfielder go easily and are holding out for a fee of around €20 million for his services.
Villarreal are keen on making the move permanent, as coach Unai Emery has been left impressed with Lo Celso’s performances in La Liga. The Spanish outfit have made their initial contacts with Tottenham, but the two clubs are yet to reach an agreement.
Formerly of Real Betis, Lo Celso joined Villarreal in January on a short-term loan deal. The Argentine joined the Yellow Submarine to secure regular game-time after struggling with form and injury during the first half of the campaign at Tottenham.
In just half a season, the former PSG starlet has made a telling impact at Villarreal. Although his tally of one goal and one assist in 22 competitive outings might not be particularly eye-catching, his overall contributions have been far greater. Lo Celso has indeed added creative brilliance to the Villarreal setup, notably helping the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League this term.
After a successful loan spell, one would expect Tottenham to bring the 26-year-old back to north London in the summer. However, it appears the Argentine international is not in Conte’s plans for the 2022/23 season. The Italian mastermind favours other alternatives in the market, and Tottenham have been credited with an interest in Napoli star Piotr Zielinski.
Along with Lo Celso, Conte is also keen on getting rid of Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks as part of Tottenham’s overhaul in the midfield department. At the same time, though, Spurs have no intention to let their star players leave on cut-price deals and as such, they will not entertain offers of anything below the €20 million for Lo Celso.
Villarreal have shown the desire to snap up the services of the 26-year-old Argentine midfielder, but it will be interesting to see whether they can conjure up the fees to meet Spurs’ demands. One would expect Arnaut Danjuma’s sale to be a crucial chip in this transfer saga, with the explosive forward being curiously linked with a summer move to Tottenham.