MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 04:15:07| >> :120:21266:21266:

Tottenham's Giovani Lo Celso 'arrives in Spain to complete Villarreal move'

Giovani Lo Celso 'arrives in Spain to complete Villarreal move'
© Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso reportedly arrives in Spain to complete a season-long loan move to Villarreal.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has reportedly touched down in Spain as he prepares to re-join Villarreal on loan.

The 26-year-old struggled to force his way into Antonio Conte's plans in the first half of the 2021-22 season but was a key player under Unai Emery at La Ceramica.

Lo Celso came up with one goal and one assist in 16 La Liga outings for the Yellow Submarine and was a consistent fixture of their side en route to the Champions League semi-finals.

The Argentine returned to Hotspur Way earlier this summer but was notably left out of Conte's squad for Spurs' pre-season tour of South Korea amid speculation surrounding his future.

Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are all above Lo Celso in the pecking order, and he is expected to leave in the coming weeks.

Giovani Lo Celso in action for Tottenham Hotspur in September 2021© Reuters

A return to Villarreal is thought to be Lo Celso's preferred choice, although Fiorentina have been tipped to hijack a move for the Argentina international after opting against making Lucas Torreira's stay permanent.

The Yellow Submarine have struggled to meet Spurs' asking price for Lo Celso, and as a result, the former Real Betis and Paris Saint-Germain lynchpin will only be returning on loan.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Lo Celso has now arrived back in Spain as he prepares to undergo his medical and finalise his loan return to the La Liga giants.

Romano adds that the season-long loan deal will not include an option to buy, but Tottenham are able to break the temporary deal if there is a chance to offload Lo Celso permanently.

The midfielder still has three years left to run on his Tottenham contract and has registered a total of eight goals and six assists in 84 outings for the Lilywhites across all tournaments.

Giovani Lo Celso celebrates scoring for Spurs in December 2020© Reuters

Conte recently admitted that an exit for Lo Celso and fellow unwanted midfielder Tanguy Ndombele would be best for both parties, telling reporters: "First of all we've talking about really good players, for sure.

"Ndombele and Lo Celso last season in January they went on loan, Ndombele to Lyon and Lo Celso to Villarreal. Every season there are different targets, this season there is the World Cup & many players ask to play regularly to give [them] more time to play games. For this reason some can also push to go away and try to play in a more regular way."

Lo Celso and Ndombele are two of four players who have supposedly been banished from first-team Tottenham training, with Harry Winks and Sergio Reguilon also training individually.

Ndombele has reportedly agreed to sign for Serie A side Napoli on loan, but the Lilywhites are struggling to find suitors for Winks and Reguilon with only a few weeks left in the summer window.

Steven Bergwijn, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kion Etete and Jack Clarke have already said their goodbyes to Tottenham, who face Chelsea in Sunday's Premier League London derby at Stamford Bridge.

ID:492235:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7069:

Click here for more stories about Giovani Lo Celso

Click here for more stories about Tottenham Hotspur

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Tanguy Ndombele warms up for Tottenham Hotspur in September 2021
Read Next:
Conte 'banishes four Spurs players from first-team training'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!