Unwanted by Antonio Conte at Tottenham, Giovani Lo Celso was sent to Villarreal for the second half of last season;
He excelled there, quickly becoming a fan favourite and helped them reach the Champions League semi-finals, which led to suggestions he might stay for longer.
Such a deal has yet to take place, but El Periódico Mediterráneo explain that Tottenham’s decision to leave the Argentine out of their pre-season tour of Asia opens a door for Villarreal.
They explain that Spurs have ‘opened the exit door’ for Lo Celso, which, in turn, has most likely also opened the ‘entry door’ at the La Liga side.
His exclusion from the squad is a ‘clear sign the talented footballer has free rein to find a new destination’, although he would like to go to Villarreal ‘no matter what’.
That’s because he knows he will play enough under Unai Emery to get himself in the Argentina squad ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
The problem for Villarreal is the price, because Tottenham did buy Lo Celso from Real Betis for a hefty fee, and ‘could ask for between €25-30m’ for their player.
These are currently ‘prohibitive figures’ for the Spanish club for now, but there’s hope that certain sales, like those of Pervis Estupiñan and Arnaut Danjuma could help fund a transfer for the midfielder.
The alternative would be a loan with money up front, which would also include a mandatory purchase option, allowing them to pay next year instead of this one.
