Unai Emery wants to sign Giovani Lo Celso at Aston Villa as £20m Tottenham transfer news emerges
Unai Emery is keen on reuniting with Giovani Lo Celso at Aston Villa ahead of a busy 2023/24 campaign for the Villains, as reported by The Athletic on 8 June.
Lo Celso is reportedly determined to leave his current club Tottenham this summer after spending the last season and a half on loan at Villarreal [Telegraph journalist Matt Law].
His loan spell with the Spanish club during the 2021/22 season saw him play under current Villa boss Emery, as the yellow submarine miraculously reached the Champions League Semi-Final, knocking out Bayern Munich and Juventus en route.
Now, as reported by The Athletic (8 June), Emery wants to bring the Argentinian to Villa Park for what would be his third time managing the 27-year-old.
Lo Celso worked under Emery for two seasons during the Spanish manager’s time at PSG as the French giants claimed a domestic treble during the 2017/18 season.
Telegraph correspondent Law reported via the Last Word on Spurs (7 June), that Tottenham will reportedly demand a fee of between £20-25million for the Villa target, with the Copa America winner still having two years left on his deal at the North London club.
A perfect fit
Lo Celso to Aston Villa makes a lot of sense for many reasons. Firstly, the playmaker’s clearly positive relationship with current manager Emery will make the settling-in period a lot easier for the player, with Lo Celso having first-hand experience already of Emery’s system.
Secondly, with Aston Villa now competing in the UEFA Conference League, they will need a deeper squad that can compete on more fronts, and of course, real quality to offer to their European adventure. Lo Celso is a player with plenty of European experience already under his belt and will be able to offer that to the rest of the squad.
Finally, when a player reportedly wants a move and a manager reportedly wants a player, it is always a good sign. For the reported £20-25million fee required by Tottenham this would be a good purchase for Villa.
Although it hasn’t worked at Tottenham, the comfort of working under a familiar manager in a familiar system might allow Lo Celso to turn his Premier League fortunes around.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery has his eyes set on another midfield target.