Giovani Lo Celso is the top target for Tottenham in the number 10 position and Spurs are willing to pay a “sizeable amount of money for him”, according to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas.
However, he said that reports of a “formal offer” were slightly wide of the mark, and that a source had told him that the Tottenham offer was more informal or an indication of how much they will be willing to pay for the player.
Real Betis have been tempted by this, according to Thomas, but are in no hurry to sell the player as he has a release clause of £88million.
Thomas was talking on the latest episode of the Last Word on Spurs podcast (20:40 mins) and replied “Definitely” when asked if he was a player Tottenham wanted to bring in this summer.
“He’s the top target for the number 10 position. I understand the clubs have been talking for over a week now, going on two weeks… There was a reported offer in Spain, but what I was told by a source was that wasn’t necessarily correct, that the offer was a bit more informal or at least it was an indication of what Spurs were willing to pay.
“But I hear that Beits have been tempted by it. They’re also thinking about the release clause he’s got and they can afford to be patient and see how things play out.
“If you’re got a release clause you don’t necessarily take the first offer you get. This could be one that drags out. Tottenham have wanted a new number 10 for a while, since Grealish fell through, they’ve prioritised this position and they’re willing to spend a sizeable amount of money.”
OPINION
This is positive for Tottenham. It seems that reports of formal offers coming in from Tottenham might be wide of the mark but the interest is real and Betis know that Tottenham want him. The £88million release clause is obviously a step too far at the moment for Daniel Levy but it will be interesting to see if that changes if other clubs come in. We’ve no doubt that Lo Celso would be a big hit in north London, after a standout season with Beits saw him score 16 goals and add six assists across all competitions. The one negative for Tottenham fans is that Thomas thinks the transfer could drag on and the longer it goes, the bigger the likelihood of other teams coming in for him later in the window. Daniel Levy won’t be rushed either, although the number 10 is a priority for the club and he will be aware of what happened last summer after he tried to play hardball over Jack Grealish. However, Levy didn’t get Tottenham to where they are today by paying the asking price for players.