Giovani Lo Celso: 5 Things to Know About Tottenham Transfer Target & Real Betis Star

Despite an infamous lack of signings, Spurs enjoyed a successful campaign, reaching the Champions League final, as well as safely qualifying for next season's competition with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.

However, Mauricio Pochettino is desperate to take his side to the next level, while Daniel Levy appears willing to provide him with the funds to do just that.

Having not bought a single player for over a year now, Tottenham finally look like they'll be dipping back into the market this summer, with one man's name featuring heavily so far in the rumours mill. 

​One offer for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has already been rejected, but Spurs will be desperate to land their man.

Here's what you need to know about Tottenham's number one transfer target.


He Would Break Tottenham's Transfer Record

Fernando Llorente,Davinson Sanchez

For an established top six Premier League, Tottenham's record signing wasn't overly expensive, with other clubs having spent significantly more. 

The £42m spent on Colombian centre back ​Davinson Sanchez back in 2017 from Ajax remains their biggest transfer, but the potential signing of Lo Celso would blow this figure out of the park.

Having had a £62m bid rejected already, it looks clear that Daniel Levy will have to spend big if they want to beat the competition to the central midfielder. He has a release clause of over £80m on his current contract but he and his representatives are reportedly confident that Betis would listen to offers in the region of £70m.


Paris Saint-Germain Would Benefit From His Sale

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Lo Celso joined Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in July 2016 but was sent on loan to Real Betis after never truly establishing himself in the starting lineup.

After an initial loan period in Seville, Betis opted to make the move permanent after triggering his then €22m release clause.

Although PSG didn't believe they would get much use out of the player at that time, they were wise to include a sell-on fee as part of the deal knowing they could make a fair bit of cash if Betis ever chose to sell the player for significantly more than it cost to bring him in.


He Is Keen to Team Up With Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino has established himself as one of the best managers in world football, performing well on a smaller budget than his Premier League rivals, particularly in recent times, so it's no surprise that Lo Celso would willingly work under him.

But it's thought that the main attraction for Lo Celso is that he and Pochettino are fellow countrymen.

Football clubs are often already so diverse in terms of nationality and language so this might not appear overly important, but it could greatly help Lo Celso settle and easier understand what Pochettino wants of him.


He Is an Argentina International

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Lo Celso's international career started with a call-up to Argentina's Under-23 squad for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where he made his debut in a 2-0 defeat to Portugal after making a late appearance from the subs bench in the 78th minute.

In 2017 he made his debut for Argentina's first team during a 1-0 victory over Russia, a game in which he started before being replaced with just over half-an-hour left to play.

He was also included in Argentina's squad for the 2018 World Cup, showing glimpses of his potential in a bitterly disappointing campaign.


He Is a Pretty Prolific Goalscoring Midfielder

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Real Betis' decision to make the signing of Lo Celso permanent was not just a wise one purely for the profit they are bound to make off him, but also for the performances he's produced for them on the pitch.

The attacking midfielder made 45 appearances in all competitions last season and found the net an impressive 16 times, as well as accumulating a further six assists.

This is some way better than ​Tottenham's current creative midfielders ​Christian Eriksen and ​Dele Alli, scoring eight and nine more goals than them respectively in all competitions.


Source : 90min