La Liga outfit Villarreal have made a £13 million loan-to-buy deal for Giovani Lo Celso as Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League misfit awaits a return to Spanish soil, as reported by Marca.
Then again, if Unai Emery is hoping that Spurs are willing to sell the Argentine international at a £30 million loss, well let’s just say the former Arsenal coach shouldn’t hold his breath.
Tottenham are holding out for a fee in excess of £20 million. Far more than Villarreal are currently willing to offer.
Lo Celso, after falling out of favour under Antonio Conte, impressed on loan at the Castellon club in the second half of last term, pulling the strings as Villarreal stunned Bayern Munich and Juventus en route to the Champions League semi-finals.
What’s more, Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles admitted earlier in the summer that Lo Celso is more than open to a second spell at the Estadio de la Ceramica. But the Yellow Submarine will have to throw a few men overboard before they can bring the former PSG playmaker on deck, however.
Is Giovani Lo Celso leaving Tottenham Hotspur for La Liga?
“We know that the player is open to staying. But we can’t sit down to talk about an operation like this without having exits,” Negueroles tells AS.
“It is a very complicated operation. They (Tottenham) spent a lot of money on the player. Without sales and with the team we have, we are not in a position to carry out this operation.
“He is a great player who has been very happy here and we have been very happy with him. But he is a Tottenham player. It is true that we would like him to be able to stay here but it’s very complicated.”
Complicated indeed.
Villarreal have proposed a deal that would see Lo Celso join on loan again, albeit with a £13 million obligation-to-buy clause in his contract. One that would presumably be triggered at some point in 2023.
The La Liga outfit have so far raised less than £2 million via player sales, however. Negotiations between Arnaut Danjuma and West Ham broke down, while Paco Alcacer, Boulaye Dia and Pervis Estupinan are still around.
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