FC Barcelona have been in contact with Ilkay Gundogan for a number of months now, and bringing him to Camp Nou was a major objective for the club in this summer transfer window.
However, recent reports on this operation have been quite pessimistic for Barcelona, and they are already looking for other similar targets to go into the next season with.
According to the Journalist Luis Rojo, Giovanni Lo Celso is one of the players that FC Barcelona have identified as their plan B if they are unable to land Gundogan this summer.
The Argentine has seen himself move between a number of clubs in the last few seasons. He first impressed in La Liga while playing for Real Betis, and his performances for Betis were impressive enough to convince the Premier League side Tottenham to spend €40 million on him.
However, his move to London did not pan out exactly as planned, and he was loaned by the English side back to Spain, with Villareal getting him on a 2-year loan.
In his last season at Villareal, the player made 29 appearances in total for the club, with 22 of them coming in La Liga. In these 29 appearances, he scored two goals and gave three assists.
But these numbers do not fully show the influence of the Argentine midfielder on the Yellow Submarines team, as he was a vital contributor to the club’s transition from defense to attack. Previous reports mention that Xavi also likes the midfielder, and believes getting him would improve the team’s chance creation stats.
Gundogan was supposed to decide on his next destination after the UEFA Champions League final, but has still not disclosed his decision.
Thus, keeping Lo Celso in the loop is a wise move for FC Barcelona, as their pursuit of Gundogan is not advancing as was previously expected, and Lo Celso is a quality player himself, who can improve the squad going into the next season.
