Aston Villa ‘pushing’ to sign £30m Spurs flop as Wolves ‘consider’ approach for midfielder

Aston Villa have a strong interest in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso this summer, according to a reputable report. The Argentine, who has been out on loan with La Liga side Villarreal this campaign, is said to be one of many names on the list of Villa transfer targets.

Unai Emery has already worked with Lo Celso having had the 27-year-old for the second half of last season and is claimed to be a big admirer. He also spent a prolonged period of time with the midfielder when the pair were at Paris Saint-Germain, including the 2017/18 season as Lo Celso played 48 times.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Villans “have a concrete interest in Lo Celso” with the player “keen on the move”. There’s a hitch in the deal, however, as the midfielder wants to wait and see who the next permanent Tottenham manager will be before making a final decision for his future.

Lo Celso signed for Spurs from Real Betis for around £30 million in 2020 after an initial successful loan spell, but he has failed to manage any real consistent game time since. Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte both often benched him in favour of starting the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks instead.

Although not a consistent starter for Villarreal either, Lo Celso has still impressed at times and would likely be a good addition to the ranks at Villa Park. Having played over 50 games in European competitions in total for PSG, Betis, Tottenham and now Villarreal, he certainly fits the mould for Villa’s project.

Lo Celso is also a very versatile player as he’s able to feature as a central midfielder, a number 10, a number six, or on either flank. He’s even played as a second striker on 12 occasions throughout his career, making him a useful option to have around - especially when injuries start to rack up.

Meanwhile, Wolves ‘considering’ approach for midfielder

In other West Midlands transfer news, Birmingham World understands that Wolverhampton Wanderers remain interested in signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia in the summer. Wolves tried to sign the Central African Republic international in January and failed but are pondering whether to make another approach.

Mario Lemina, who signed from OGC Nice at the start of 2023, has been brilliant for Wanderers in midfield but Julen Lopetegui is keen to add further depth. Boubacar Traore is seen as a player with great potential but this season has provoked concerns over his reliability due to issues with injuries and fitness.

Kondogbia has been slightly out of favour with Atletico this campaign as he’s only made 18 appearances in La Liga. The 30-year-old has played just 32% of the minutes available to him but he has plenty of experience across Europe with Inter Milan, Valencia, AS Monaco and RC Lens.