AS have claimed that Tottenham would be willing to sell Giovani Lo Celso for a fee of around €20m-€25m (£16.9m-£21.1m) this summer amidst Villarreal’s interest in the midfielder.
Lo Celso has not travelled with the Tottenham squad to South Korea, which seems to indicate that the Argentine is surplus to requirements for Antonio Conte (Charlie Eccleshare).
Marca reported this week that Spurs want to recoup as much of the €40m (£33.7m) they paid for the Argentine as possible this summer but suggested that Villarreal would need to sell players before making an offer for the midfielder.
El Periodico Mediterraneo subsequently claimed that although signing Lo Celso is the number one priority for Unai Emery’s side this summer, a deal for the 26-year-old would prove complex.
This has now been backed by AS who state that Villarreal are aware the Lo Celso operation will not be an easy one to close and they need to raise funds to bring the midfielder back to El Madrigal this summer.
The report explains that the former Real Betis man is keen on returning to the La Liga club, who have now begun their efforts to get a deal done.
AS add that the Yellow Submarine hope to take advantage of the player’s desire to return to the club by pushing through a favourable deal even though Tottenham value Lo Celso at €20m-€25m (£16.9m-£21.1m).
MORE SPURS STORIES
Spurs Web Opinion
One would expect this deal to accelerate over the coming weeks but I believe Spurs will be pushing for around £25m for Lo Celso, who will have no shortage of suitors this summer.
The one advantage Villarreal have is that the midfielder might prefer to return to familiar surroundings but I do not think there is any chance of Spurs selling the Argentine for under £20m.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
