Real Betis still expect Giovani Lo Celso to join Tottenham Hotspur permanently.
Real Betis president Angel Haro has told Estadio Deportivo, as quoted by the London Evening Standard, that he still believes Tottenham Hotspur will sign Giovani Lo Celso permanently next month.
Lo Celso was a top summer target for Mauricio Pochettino, and after months of speculation, he finally joined Spurs on deadline day in August.
Having been quoted some huge fees, Tottenham pulled off a pretty sensible deal, taking Lo Celso on loan for a considerable fee but including a purchase clause.
Tottenham are obliged to sign Lo Celso permanently for €40million (£34million) if they qualify for the Champions League, but reports emerged from Mundo Deportivo in November about a potentially cheaper deal.
They claimed that Spurs would actually be able to sign Lo Celso for £27.5million in January, bringing the deal forward whilst saving some money in the process.
The problem for Lo Celso is that Pochettino isn’t in charge of Spurs anymore, and he now has to try and prove himself to new boss Jose Mourinho.
So far, Lo Celso has played just 72 minutes of action under Mourinho, and some fans are worried about the 23-year-old prospects moving forward.
Now though, Haro thinks Tottenham will activate their clause in January to avoid paying more come June, but if they don’t sign him in January and miss out on the Champions League, they would be ‘delighted’ to welcome Lo Celso back for next season.
“[Tottenham] will exercise it because if they don’t they will be [charged more] in June,” said Haro. “They may also have to exercise the mandatory [clause]. We understand that they will exercise it, but if not [we will be] delighted with the player [returning],” he added.
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