Celta Vigo boss Juan Carlos Unzue has admitted that Tottenham target Pape Cheikh Diop could leave.
Celtia Vigo manager Juan Carlos Unzue has been quoted by Football Espana as saying that the rumours of Pape Cheikh Diop’s potential departure are true amid strong interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Celta opened their La Liga campaign with a 3-2 defeat against Real Sociedad on Saturday evening, and one notable absentee from the Celta squad was midfielder Diop.
The 20-year-old midfielder has been on the books with Celta since 2013, and whilst he has only made 22 La Liga appearances, he has been attracting major interest this summer.
As reported by The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to land Diop this summer, with Mauricio Pochettino looking to land the young midfielder as cover to the likes of Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele in the middle of the park.
A Spanish Under-19 international, Diop has been touted for a bright future, and Spurs are seemingly hoping to win the race for his signature before the transfer deadline later this month.
His omission from the Celta squad on Saturday may be a huge boost to Scotland, and Celta’s new manager Juan Carlos Unzue has discussed the youngster’s future with the Galician club.
Unzue has been quoted by Football Espana as saying that the rumours of Diop’s potential exit – seemingly to Tottenham – are true, and that a move could be imminent for the midfielder.
Juan Carlos Unzue (L)
Unzue added that whilst the Celta board haven’t told him that Diop is unavailable for selection, he couldn’t pick Diop for this weekend’s game as he didn’t think he was in the right mental state to play amid the strong speculation over his future.
“It’s true about Pape, it’s there and we can’t silence it,” said Unzue. “The situation of Pape is what it is. No-one from the club has told me that I can’t count on him, but another thing is that I have to decide if [the speculation] can influence his performance and mental state,” he added.
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