NSWE told £15m will secure Tottenham exit for Giovani Lo Celso after Aston Villa transfer update
Alan Hutton has told Aston Villa owners NSWE that it will take around £15million to sign Tottenham star Giovani Lo Celso in the summer transfer window.
Reports have suggested Unai Emery’s side are interested in bringing the Argentinian World Cup winner to Villa Park this summer as he looks set to bring an end to his five-year spell with the North London club [The Sun, 6 June].
Lo Celso worked with the current Villa boss during his loan spell away from Tottenham at Villarreal but struggled to force his way into the team under Ange Postecoglou as he started only four Premier League matches.
Although Hutton admits that he doesn’t expect the 28-year-old to be a regular starter week in and week out at Villa Park, he does think that Emery will be able to help him rediscover the form that made him such a threat in Spain.
“He’s worked under the manager before at Villarreal,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“He did well whilst he was on loan there so the manager will feel that he can get the best out of him, the question is where does he fit in?
“Is he going to play as a midfielder, is he going to play a bit higher up? He is quite versatile and he can play in a number of positions, but he is probably a guy who is looking for a home and wants to play regular football.
“For me personally at this moment in time, I don’t think he will play every single week, week in and week out but the manager will still feel that he is able to get the best out of him.
“In terms of the fee, maybe around £15million, it’s a difficult one. We’re talking about guys who won’t play regularly, but if the manager wants him and sees him as a target who will make them better, he’ll be willing to pay that sort of money.
“I just don’t see him coming in as a starter week in and week out.”
Would Daniel Levy sell Tottenham ace Giovani Lo Celso to Aston Villa in the transfer window?
With Douglas Luiz’s Villa Park exit imminent, Emery and his recruitment team are going to have to do everything that they can to try and add to their midfield this summer if they want to keep the pace with the big six.
The addition of Ross Barkley will be a step in the right direction, but the Luton Town star alone will not solve the issue. There will have to be one or two new midfielders also brought in to cover the Brazilian’s absence.
Lo Celso may not be equipped to start week in and week out at Villa Park, but he does have the ability to be a real threat in the Premier League when fully fit and firing and no one has got that out of him more recently than Emery.
In other Aston Villa news, Tammy Abraham is believed to be keen on making a return to Villa Park during the summer transfer window
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