Sources: Villarreal in advanced talks to sign Giovani Lo Celso after Tottenham twist
Match

Sources: Villarreal in advanced talks to sign Giovani Lo Celso after Tottenham twist

Wayne Veysey
Wayne Veysey

Founder & Managing Director AUTHORITY Former chief correspondent at Evening Standard, Goal and Press Association with nearly three decades in national, regional and digital news and sports journalism. Wayne directs the network’s news strategy and high-level operations. FOCUS Editorial direction for the 11-site network and newsroom management. THE BRIEF Wayne oversees the network’s editorial standards across the network. He provides the final sign-off on all headline scoops, ensuring content across all platforms meets the standards required for a high-velocity newsroom.

Published on: 

Villarreal are in advanced talks to sign Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso permanently, Football Insider understands.

The attacking midfielder, 26, made a big impact at the Spanish club following his arrival in January on loan.

A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Villarreal have held extensive talks with Spurs and Lo Celso's representatives about converting the loan into a permanent deal.

Tottenham

An agreement is close to being reached after Spurs indicated they are willing to take a big loss on the midfielder, who cost £28million plus a £15m loan fee when he joined from Real Betis.

The Londoners were initially holding out for £30m earlier this year for Lo Celso but will now accept closer to £20m.

There was no ‘buy’ option included in the deal that took the Argentine to the Champions League semi-finalists in the winter window.

Spurs are keen to offload Lo Celso after being deemed surplus to requirements by Antonio Conte.

He struggled to thrive in the Premier League despite having an excellent record in Spain and international football.

Lo Celso made just two Premier League starts in the opening half of the season and failed to complete 90 minutes on a single occasion.

Back in Spain, he was instrumental in Unai Emery's Villarreal team making shock progress to the last four of the Champions League, where they knocked out Bayern Munich.

He played both legs of the quarter-final, which his side won 2-1 on aggregate.

He has made 84 appearances in total for Spurs since initially joining in the summer of 2019.

His contract expires in 2025.

In other news, Tottenham expert fumes at "complete disaster" behind the scenes.

Tottenham Hotspur
www.footballinsider247.com