Postecoglou betrayed with Tottenham star to replace Man City legend after deciding to stick to exit plan
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou
Giovani Lo Celso is still considering a departure from Tottenham this summer despite recent claims he could stay – and an update has shed light on where he could go.
Lo Celso is back with Tottenham for pre-season after spending the last 18 months on loan at Villarreal. He has shown signs of earning a second chance in recent weeks, having scored in both of their friendlies so far this summer.
It has led to recent claims that he will no longer look to force an exit from Tottenham in the current transfer window. Besides, a relatively high asking price has seen interest from some suitors cool.
Nevertheless, a couple of updates on Friday imply that there is still a chance Lo Celso could quit Tottenham this summer. According to Calciomercato, he “wants to leave” and therefore remains on the radar of Napoli.
The Serie A champions were one of the clubs who had been thought to have been put off by Tottenham’s price tag for Lo Celso. However, perhaps their interest remains.
Another viable option for Lo Celso, per AS, would be to join Real Sociedad, who have just lost David Silva after the Manchester City legend was forced into retirement because of an ACL injury.
Lo Celso is deemed to be the ‘most similar’ player to Silva on the market. Therefore, Real Sociedad could launch their own move for the Argentina international.
It is not clear via either Calciomercato or AS what Tottenham would ask for in terms of a transfer fee for Lo Celso. However, the latter appears to indicate he could be available for the right price.
Spanish suitors have Lo Celso alternatives
That said, Real Sociedad could be considering some alternative solutions to the dilemma Silva’s retirement has put them in.
For one, they could promote from within by adapting the roles of Brais Mendez or Takefusa Kubo. Alternatively, some other targets could include Moi Gomez from Osasuna or Brahim Diaz from Real Madrid.
La Real have also identified Mario Gotze and Lorenzo Pellegrini as players with similar characteristics to Silva, but it was only last year that Gotze joined Eintracht Frankfurt and Pellegrini extended his contract with Roma.
In contrast, Lo Celso would be ‘very viable’ for La Real to bring back to La Liga after his previous spells with Real Betis and Villarreal.
The 27-year-old remains under contract with Tottenham until 2025. Before his interlude with Villarreal, he had made 84 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals and providing six assists.
