Giovani Lo Celso of Tottenham
According to reports, Barcelona have made a Tottenham star their primary target ahead of the January transfer window with Xavi keen on the player.
Spurs are likely to be busy themselves in the January window as Ange Postecoglou looks to navigate a difficult injury crisis with several key players currently sidelined.
As a result of Tottenham’s injury crisis, plenty of fringe players have been brought back into the frame by Postecoglou. A recent report even claimed that Spurs will block the exits of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp in January because of their shortage of fit midfielders.
Following the injury to James Maddison, Giovani Lo Celso has found himself back in the Tottenham starting line-up of late, although his future is once again up in the air.
Barcelona tried to sign the Argentine midfielder on loan in the summer, but Spurs quickly rejected this request as they were only interested in a permanent sale.
Fast forward a few months and Barcelona seem keen to resurface their interest. Following a serious injury to Gavi, Xavi is keen to boost his midfield options in January and Lo Celso is now under consideration once again.
READ MORE: Tottenham to escalate chase for €15m steal of a signing to bolster Postecoglou centre-back ranks in January
Lo Celso is a top target for Barcelona
According to the Evening Standard, Lo Celso is now seen as the ‘primary transfer target’ ahead of January. However, Barcelona will likely have to sell players first in order to fund the deal.
The Catalan Club are in a tricky financial spot right now and probably won’t be able to offer a sizeable transfer fee for the Tottenham star.
During the summer, Barcelona mostly utilised the loan and free transfer market in order to build up their squad. Unless they sell some significant players in January, this is expected to be the case for them in the winter once again.
Lo Celso is under contract with Tottenham until 2025 and the club will surely be keen to recoup some of the £55million that they originally spent on him.
The Argentine midfielder spent the last couple of seasons on loan with Villarreal, but he has come back into the frame of late under Postecoglou.
With Maddison still sidelined for the time being, Lo Celso could be an important player for Spurs over the festive period. He scored his first goal of the season against Aston Villa and seems to have put his injury troubles behind him.
If Barcelona do come in with a tempting offer in January then Postecoglou will be left with a big decision to make. Losing him at this stage could leave Spurs short in midfield, but Barcelona seem willing to test their resolve.
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