Sky: Lo Celso wants Tottenham move

Tottenham Hotspur are very interested in Real Betis’ 23-year old Argentine midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, going as far as to make an initial bid for him that totaled £62m (£50 + escalators). That wasn’t enough for Betis, who rejected it.

However, if you want a little more optimism on a Tuesday afternoon, here’s some. Sky Sports football editor Lyall Thomas understands that Lo Celso is quite keen on a transfer to Tottenham and wants to work under Mauricio Pochettino, assuming that Betis will let him leave this summer.

That’s HUGE if true. Lo Celso wanting to come to Spurs certainly helps grease the wheels, and quite possibly could mean a slightly lower transfer fee than what he might command otherwise. Betis, who literally just signed Lo Celso from PSG after exercising a purchase clause after he spent the last season on loan there, needs to flip him quickly because they need money after not qualifying for Europe.

Sky says they’d like to get as close to their £88m asking price as possible, but if the reports of Lo Celso wanting to come to north London are accurate, then it’s less about trying to convince a player and more about haggling over the price. And if it’s about haggling, there’s nobody you want in your corner more than a Daniel Levy freed from the shackles of new stadium construction details.

This is good, folks. Real, real good. Getting Lo Celso in the short to medium term would be massive. He’s a solid, positionally flexible midfielder who can play the eight or the ten, which means he could play in a hypothetical Spurs lineup that includes, or does not include, Christian Eriksen. He’s expensive and would certainly be Spurs’ record signing, but it would represent a real show of faith and support for Pochettino going into next season.

Sky is, y’know, Sky, but Lyall doesn’t generally make stuff up, so I choose to have hope. It’s a sexy, sexy rumor and I’m swiping right on it. Who’s with me?