With 16 goals and five assists, Giovani Lo Celso had an impressive season with Real Betis, who made his loan deal permanent earlier in January.
The Argentina international, who has a release clause of €100m, is drawing attention from Tottenham Hotspur, while Manchester United have also been dragged into the transfer mix.
It is still not clear whether the Red Devils are linked to put pressure on the Champions League runners-up or if there is a genuine interest from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in the former PSG man, but reports linking the midfielder with the 20-time English champions have not stopped as El Desmarque come up with the latest claims.
The headline of the report reads ‘The seductive formulas of Manchester United to sign Lo Celso’, and it’s claimed United have ‘marked’ the 23-year-old’s name ‘in red’ as they see him as a replacement for Paul Pogba if the World Cup winner leaves Old Trafford.
It’s a known fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have the financial muscle to spend big in the transfer market, but it makes no sense to pay more than the asking price.
The second formula mentioned in the report is to offer £60m (€68m) and one of their players (supposedly Juan Mata) as part of the deal.
Interestingly enough, this came a few hours before Sport announced the Spaniard had agreed to an extension with Manchester United.
Mata reportedly put pen to paper to a new three-year deal with the Red Devils on Monday afternoon, meaning he is once more a valuable asset to the Premier League side on the transfer market.
Did the Spaniard solely agree to extend his contract so he could help out his current club to acquire the Argentina international?
We’ll have to wait and see.
