Aston Villa could well be handed a boost in their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur star Giovani Lo Celso as we enter the final two weeks of the Premier League's transfer window - with Fabrizio Romano exclusively telling GIVEMESPORT that the west Midlands club could go head-to-head with Real Betis to sign the midfielder with Tottenham potentially still wanting to do business.
Lo Celso signed for Tottenham on loan at the start of the 2019-20 season, and after five largely unsuccessful seasons in white colours - one-and-a-half of which have been on loan at Villarreal - it is still unsure as to where his future lies. But that could be Villa, with Romano stating that they could be in a race with Betis.
Villa Have Been Linked With Lo Celso Before
The Midlands club have a long-standing interest
It's clear that Emery massively rates the Tottenham star having managed him at Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal. Reports earlier in the summer suggested that Villa had taken a keen interest in the former Betis man, which could now accelerate after their pursuit of Joao Felix stalled with the Portuguese potentially joining Chelsea instead.
There has been a development on his potential Tottenham exit with TyC Sports claiming that Villa were expected to go head-to-head with his former Andalusian club in a bid to secure his services.
He is not a part of Ange Postecoglou's plans for the upcoming season and so with Tottenham looking to bring in other targets after securing the signings of Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert, incoming cash is vital for them to strengthen and Lo Celso's exit could be paramount.
Romano: Aston Villa Remain a 'Possibility'
The midfielder has been linked with a move through the summer
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, Romano stated that the Villans could be a possible destination for Lo Celso - who earns £100,000-a-week - despite the Argentine turning down a move to other European clubs.
He said:
"For Lo Celso, there are two possibilities - Aston Villa and Real Betis. He rejected some options out of Europe as an opportunity in the recent days, and so let's see what's going to happen.
"But I think Tottenham could still do business."
Lo Celso Could be Villa's Missing Jigsaw Piece
The creator could give Ollie Watkins a lot of ammunition
Villa do have a lot of midfield options, but it is clear that they want to sign someone who can create chances in an advanced role. They have previously been linked with Carlos Soler, whilst recent links touted them with a move for Sporting Lisbon star Pedro Goncalves and so it is clear that Emery wants someone who can manipulate the ball in the final third and create chances in tight areas.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Giovani Lo Celso has scored 11 goals in 108 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur.
Emi Buendia and Jacob Ramsey are the main current options for that, but the signings of Ross Barkley who acts deep, alongside Youri Tielemans and John McGinn, with Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara challenging for the No. 6 role means that there likely is room for one player to come in and dictate play behind Ollie Watkins.
The sales of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby to Juventus and Al-Ittihad respectively, alongside the sale of Cameron Archer to Southampton, mean that Villa haven't had a huge net spend and now the onus is on the club to make the most of their Champions League money to properly strengthen their squad after a measly window so far.