Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up their options regarding the future of Giovani Lo Celso, who is a target for Barcelona during the January transfer window, sources have confirmed to 90min.
Lo Celso is into his fifth season under contract at Spurs, but has seldom made an impact in his half-decade with the club following his 2019 move from Real Betis.
The Argentina international was more of a regular fixture under previous head coaches Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo, but Antonio Conte quickly decided he was not part of plans after taking the reins and he joined Villarreal on loan from January 2022 to June 2023.
After Spurs hired Ange Postecoglou this summer, Lo Celso was afforded another chance to prove his worth to the club. He impressed in pre-season but a hamstring injury disrupted his start to the 2023/24 campaign.
Summer signing James Maddison sustained an ankle injury in November and Lo Celso has since featured more prominently as Tottenham's chief creative midfielder, grabbing goals against Aston Villa and Manchester City recently.
90min understands Postecoglou is appreciative of Lo Celso's talent and is fine with him staying, but the club are keeping their options open and are continuing to explore moves for other midfielders, such as Chelsea's Conor Gallagher.
Lo Celso's contract runs until 2025 and Tottenham are wary that offering him a new one would represent a big commitment they are perhaps not yet ready to make. He has missed approximately 53 matches for Spurs through injury since joining and other clubs are interested in his services.
Barcelona are scouring Europe for midfield reinforcements after Gavi was ruled out for the rest of the season with ACL and meniscus injuries, though it is more likely they will enter the loan market. Lo Celso is on their shortlist of options and they have spoken with his representatives about a move.
While Lo Celso is ready to consider his own options, Tottenham could find themselves significantly weakened for the rest of the season if they sanction an immediate exit. Fellow midfielders Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr will miss most of January due to their participation at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Maddison is not expected to return until later that month. Rodrigo Bentancur is also out until February through injury.
