Tottenham killed deal after club wouldn’t ‘pay single euro’ and expected Spurs to cover % wages
On November 23rd, Mundo Deportivo reported Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani Lo Celso is the main midfield target for Barcelona in January.
Following Gavi’s severe injury, claims surfaced that the La Liga team may search for a successor as early as next month. Lo Celso has always been admired by Xavi Hernández, who has been pushed forward as a target once more after failing to land him in the summer.
According to a report by AS, Barca was considering making a move in the winter transfer window, but they were unable to sign the Tottenham star during the previous season.
It’s claimed the door had opened for the Catalan club to sign the 27-year-old in July but the deal was dead by the time Tottenham faced Barca in a friendly in August.
Xavi’s side and the Argentina international’s agent were in regular contact in the summer, but Spurs refused to sit down for negotiations.
That’s because Deco, along with former Barca sporting director Mateu Alemany, didn’t want to ‘pay a single euro’ to take him on loan and wanted Ange Postecoglou’s side to pay part of his salary. That obviously didn’t please Tottenham, who killed the deal.
According to recent reports from England, Xavi is pressuring Deco to pursue Lo Celso in a different manner. After relaying that, AS states that Barcelona has “not yet made any move” for the midfield player from Tottenham.
As Lo Celso has been playing more recently, AS has stated that he may be “essential” for Postecoglou, particularly with Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr attending the AFCON.
Even while AS asserts that Barca hasn’t made any moves for the South American, it’s unlikely they would succeed even in that scenario. especially on the same conditions as previously.
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‘Get it done’ – Manager tells club to sign 27-year-old with 38 goals and 39 assists
Journalist Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports reports that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has asked his team to sign Giovani Lo Celso, a midfield player for Tottenham.
The midfielder, who has had difficulty becoming a regular for Tottenham since arriving, has forced his way into the team by taking advantage of James Maddison’s injury.
The 27-year-old scored goals against Manchester City and Aston Villa back-to-back in the last two games, demonstrating his remarkable play.
Lo Celso was a target for Barcelona during the summer transfer window, as manager Xavi saw him as a potential replacement for Sergio Busquets.
A move did not materialise at that time but now as per recent reports they have renewed their efforts to sign him, especially following an injury setback to their rising star Gavi.
And as per the Thomas, Xavi is ‘determined to sign’ the midfielder who has 38 goals and 39 assists in his career. He has ‘requested the club’ to get the deal done for him in the upcoming transfer window.
The player’s current contract expires after 18 months. In addition to having injured players like Bentancur and Maddison, Spurs will be missing Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma for a few weeks in January.
Levy and company may be looking to cash in on him in an attempt to squeeze the most financial value out of him, even if Ange may be determined to keep him until the conclusion of the season.
However, until they recruit one or more midfielders in the January transfer window, selling Lo Celso would only make sense.
