In addition to signing Joao Cancelo on loan, FC Barcelona are also looking to sign an attacking midfielder before the end of this summer. The Catalan club has been associated with several players having such a profile in the last few months.
The main priority of Barcelona for this position till some weeks ago was Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva. However, the Portuguese international is valued highly by Pep Guardiola, and the Catalans realize that it would be impossible to get him out of England this summer. Another option they were linked with included the Argentine Giovani Lo Celso.
Tottenham change their mind about Lo Celso
Giovani Lo Celso has been a Tottenham player for the last three years, but he struggled to get incorporated in the London club. Thus, he has spent the last two seasons on loan at Villareal, where his performances have been impressive.
This summer, he returned to England, but it was expected that the player would still not be in the plans of the Spurs sporting staff, especially since the new Spurs coach, Ange Postecoglou, does not utilize a structure that would fit Lo Celso’s abilities.
Barcelona were seeing him as a potential addition to the squad, especially because of his ability to give a good final pass. However, SPORT now reports that Tottenham have refused the option for Lo Celso to move to Barcelona without them receiving a significant fee for him.
The Argentine has performed well in the pre-season, where he scored two goals, and Tottenham believe the player can come in handy during this season even though he has not played a single minute in the first two games of the season.
Tottenham want €10-15 for the midfielder
Tottenham can give assent to the midfielder’s sale if the Catalans put up an offer of around €10-15 million for him. However, this is not currently possible for Barcelona in their current economic situation to spend such a big amount on a player who is not a basic necessity for the squad.
Another factor that makes it difficult for Barcelona to get Lo Celso is the stalled negotiations for Clement Lenglet. Since Antonio Conte’s departure from the club, Tottenham have not been as interested in the defender, as the new coach has shown little interest in getting Lenglet.
Thus, getting Lo Celso this summer seems impossible for Barcelona, unless Tottenham change their mind in the last days of the transfer window.
