Tottenham Hotspur face real competition for Giovani Lo Celso.
According to Estadio Deportivo, Atletico Madrid have made an offer of €55million (£49million) for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso – nowhere near enough to get a deal done.
A year ago, Lo Celso was on the fringes of the Paris Saint-Germain side, and took a chance with a loan move to Betis, which has seen his stock rise to its highest point.
The 23-year-old hit 16 goals and six assists this past season, and he’s now a man in demand after Betis activated a purchase clause in loan deal, meaning they can now turn a quick profit on the playmaker.
Atletico appear to have made a considerable bid, but not quite enough to tempt Betis into selling, and the report adds that Tottenham Hotspur are willing to pay around £62million to secure his signature.
Tottenham appear to have identified Lo Celso as a replacement for Christian Eriksen, and with Betis looking for €75million (£66million), Spurs may well be best-placed to do a deal.
Yet the longer the situation goes on, the more chance there is of Atletico ramping up their interest and securing a deal, with Diego Simeone’s undergoing something of a rebuild this summer.
This transfer battle sees Simeone go up against his former Argentina teammate Mauricio Pochettino, and Tottenham will be desperate to win this one if Eriksen does go.
Eriksen’s own situation may well hold up Tottenham too, and Atletico’s bid should be a strong warning that Spurs risk losing out on the playmaker if they hesitate.
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