According to Mike McGrath of The Sun, Tottenham are interested in Giovani Lo Celso and could battle Everton to bring the centre-midfielder to London. Le Celso has impressed since joining Real Betis on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and turned his deal permanent for £21.5m this summer. The Sun say Betis could sell him on for a 200% profit, however.
Tottenham are looking for a replacement for Mousa Dembele. Mauricio Pochettino allowed the midfielder to leave without bringing another playing in, but this summer should be spent on finding the ideal individual to improve the squad. Le Celso has made 30 appearances for Betis, scoring and creating 12 goals, making 49 tackles, 17 interceptions and 43 passes-per-game with 83% accuracy.
Spurs will have competition from Everton for the 23-year-old, as the Merseysiders are also looking to bolster their midfield options. Andre Gomes, who Tottenham have incidentally been linked with, could return to his parent club Barcelona this summer, so the Blues would need a replacement.
Lo Celso’s lofty asking price might put off both Premier League clubs, however. Tottenham aren’t going to spend more than £40m on a player that isn’t a stellar acquisition. They may prefer to sign Gomes who has proven himself in England.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Report: Tottenham tipped to sign £45m midfielder, could replace Christian Eriksen