Barcelona have reportedly approached Tottenham Hotspur over signing Giovani Lo Celso on loan, but Spurs would only consider a sale.
That’s according to Spanish outlet Sport, which claims that Lo Celso won’t be joining the La Liga champions this summer.
Lo Celso looked set to leave Tottenham earlier this summer after spending the past 18 months on loan at Villarreal.
The £27 million man was frozen out by former boss Antonio Conte but appears to have been handed a lifeline at Spurs under Ange Postecoglou.
Indeed, the Aussie boss admitted he likes Lo Celso during pre-season after the Argentine netted twice in three friendlies.
But Lo Celso is yet to play a single minute in the Premier League this season and while it’s still early days, there have been suggestions he’s already unhappy with his game time.
Now, it seems that Barcelona have attempted to sign Lo Celso on a season-long loan deal.
Barca approach Spurs over Lo Celso
Sport reports that barring an unexpected twist, Lo Celso won’t be joining Xavi in Barcelona this summer.
Barca wanted to snap up the 27-year-old on loan, but Spurs would only consider a potential sale.
The Catalan giants simply can’t stretch to bringing in Lo Celso permanently at this stage and it seems likely that he will remain at Tottenham beyond next month’s deadline.
While Lo Celso is yet to play under Postecoglou this season, he could have a big role to play across the campaign.
The Argentine is undoubtedly the most natural player to replace James Maddison in the event the midfielder picks up an injury or suspension.
Postecoglou, so far, has yet to experiment with a midfield three of Yves Bissouma, Maddison and Lo Celso.
But Lo Celso should get plenty of opportunities over the course of the season and he seems well-suited to Postecoglou’s system.
His impressive displays should be reason enough for Spurs to keep him around and you can hardly blame them for turning down yet another loan move for the midfielder.
