Tottenham Hotspur are set to battle it out with Real Madrid for Real Betis star Giovani Lo Celso, according to reports.
Lo Celso is currently on a season-long loan spell at Real Betis as he was unwanted at PSG before the season began.
According to Marca, Betis will take up the option to sign Lo Celso permanently from PSG at the end of the season, but his impressive performances have caught the eye of Real Madrid and Tottenham who are interested in the player.
Tottenham will have to pay €60 million to sign the player from Real Betis, though.
Lo Celso – Fact file
The Argentine international has made 22 appearances in the Spanish Primera Liga this season, and has been a key figure in the midfield for Real Betis as they hope to finish in the Europa League places this season.
It’s a bit of a surprise that PSG decided to loan out Lo Celso even after the Argentine showed a lot of promise following his €10 million move from Rosario Central in 2016.
Playing in a star-studded lineup that had Neymar, Edinson Cavani, and Angel Di Maria, Lo Celso showed he was no mere puppet whose only role was to pass the ball to the big-name players.
Thomas Tuchel didn’t see him in his plans, and a loan move to Betis has worked out well after a few initial struggles.
Lo Celso – The spark Tottenham’s midfield needs
Although Tottenham have a lot of players in central midfield, most of them are defensive-minded players.
While Harry Winks has done well on occasions in making the forward forays, the likes of Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama are better at protecting the defence.
Spurs have missed the presence of someone like Mousa Dembele who is not only confident on the ball but also has the ability to maraud forward.
Lo Celso has the ability to get forward from the deeper areas as has strong dribbling ability and can pick a pass.
So far this season, Lo Celso has predominantly featured as a central midfielder, but has shown the willingness to get forward more often than not. His averages at least two dribbles completed per game, and has even managed 1.6 shots per game, so he is a threat while going forward.
On a defensive viewpoint, Lo Celso averages nearly two tackles a game in La Liga, so he is no slouch when it comes to providing defensive support.
Stats via Whoscored