Tottenham divorce imminent for midfielder who’s ‘almost certainly’ leaving in January

Three suitors have been named for Giovani Lo Celso, who will ‘almost certainly’ leave Tottenham Hotspur during the January transfer window.

Those are the words of Tuttomercatoweb, which reminds its readers that Lo Celso already had the chance to ‘divorce’ Tottenham in the summer when he was of interest to Napoli, Barcelona and his former club Real Betis after being on loan at Villarreal.

There were some indications in pre-season that Lo Celso may get more of a chance under Ange Postecoglou since his return to the Tottenham fold, but that has not materialised fully yet. Injury has played a part, but he is yet to start a Premier League match this season.

With that in mind, the Italian source is predicting that the Napoli target will be on his way out of Tottenham at the next opportunity. As has similarly been reported elsewhere, his current club will be asking for a transfer fee in the region of €15m (£13m).

However, since the January market can be harder to get buyers to commit to big deals in, it is not ruled out that Tottenham could send Lo Celso elsewhere on loan again, if an option to buy is attached to the deal.

The fact that they have reduced their asking price from €25m (£22m) may well indicate they are now looking to offload the Argentina international.

It is not yet clear which of his three previous suitors could come back to the table for him in January. Interestingly, the report claims they all wanted to take him on loan, which is a formula that might open up in the winter.

Whispers growing Lo Celso is on his way out

A recent report from Diario Sport suggested a move to La Liga may be the most likely outcome for the 27-year-old, who is said to be desired by Xavi at Barcelona and is indeed still on the radar of Real Betis, where he played in the 2018-19 season before coming to Tottenham.

Other sources to talk up a return to the Seville-based club in recent days include Estadio Deportivo – which has claimed Betis made Lo Celso’s agent aware of their interest as far back as the start of the summer – and Ole, which implies Manuel Pellegrini’s side could cash in on Guido Rodriguez and turn to Lo Celso as his replacement.

Of course, once he shakes his physical issues off, Lo Celso could get the chance to compete for more gametime in Postecoglou’s system. But the Tottenham midfield is now stacked with other options such as James Maddison in the no.10 role – where Lo Celso can play – and the likes of Yves Bissouma, Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg further back.

Indeed, Lo Celso is not the only midfielder who might be looking for a Tottenham escape route. Fabrizio Romano has also explained why Hojbjerg feels ‘ready to leave’ the club.