The Standard have revealed that Barcelona are not willing to give up on their pursuit of Giovani Lo Celso, with Xavi keen on bringing the Argentine to Camp Nou.
Lo Celso, who has missed much of the season due to injury, made his first Premier League start in more than two years against Aston Villa and the midfielder gave an excellent account of himself. He then took things to the next level with a huge goal against Man City at the Etihad.
With James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur out with long-term injuries, the 27-year-old could have a pivotal role to play at Spurs over the coming weeks.
Some Spanish outlets have reported over the last couple of weeks that while Barca have set their sights on Lo Celso after Gavi sustained a serious injury, Tottenham may not be willing to let the player leave (Mundo Deportivo via Sport Witness).
It was explained that this was because of the injuries that Ange Postecoglou’s men are dealing with in the middle of the park as well as the fact that both Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr would be unavailable during AFCON.
Barca have not given up of signing Giovani Lo Celso
However, The Standard have now said that Barca are not willing to admit defeat in their pursuit of Lo Celso just yet.
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They say that the Catalan club tried to sign the former Real Betis man last summer as well but Tottenham rejected their loan offer and demanded a sizable fee, with the La Liga giants could not pay.
The report adds that Xavi continues to push the Barca hierarchy to get Lo Celso through the door after learning that Gavi could be out for the rest of the season.
In fact, the outlet asserts that the Camp Nou camp hierarchy have now made the Tottenham man their ‘primary transfer target’ for January.
The Standard add that while Lo Celso is ‘flattered’ by Barca’s interest, he will not push for a move away from Spurs, especially now that he is getting opportunities.
Spurs Web Opinion
I do not see Tottenham letting Lo Celso go in January even if Barca are willing to pay £20m-£25m. In the absence of Maddison, I expect the Argentine to step up and make himself a mainstay in the Spurs starting eleven over the next few weeks.
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