Noel Whelan has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur could potentially look at completing some sort of swap deal between Giovani Lo Celso and Pau Torres this summer.
The Lowdown: Pau Torres interest from Tottenham
The 26-year-old Argentine joined Villarreal on loan from the Lilywhites in January and he has made 17 appearances to date for the La Liga club, providing one assist during that time.
Despite the midfielder being under contract with the Premier League giants until 2025, it has recently been reported by the Daily Mail that the Spurs hierarchy are interested in bringing Yellow Submarine defender Torres to north London in the upcoming transfer window.
The report claimed that the Spaniard has a £55m release clause in his contract, which is a huge sum of money to trigger, but the one-time Leeds forward believes that a swap deal could be on the cards.
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The Latest: Levy could consider swap deal
When asked about the possibility of a part-exchange transfer between the two players, Whelan believes that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy could be on board with any such plan.
The former BBC pundit told Football Insider: “I think Daniel Levy will always look to get a cut-price deal unless it’s for one of his players.
“There are so many deals that can be done to lower it. Trust me, if Daniel Levy can get away with giving them a player and spending £25-30million, he will.
“It makes perfect sense. They’re getting a player (Lo Celso) who’s creative and seems to be settling in well at Villareal. He has done well for them this season.
“That would work perfectly because he’s not in Conte’s plans. That’s clear to see because that’s why he’s out on loan. There’s already a relationship between the two clubs that could get this deal done.”
The Verdict: Suitable for both parties
Torres has been an absolute colossus at the back for Unai Emery’s outfit this season, currently averaging 3.2 clearances and 1.9 successful aerial duels per league game (via WhoScored), displaying his physical strength both in the air and on the ground.
Lo Celso most recently played the full 180 minutes for Villarreal in their Champions League semi-final tie against Liverpool as they were knocked out of the competition following a 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Reds.
With Antonio Conte said to be looking at bringing in six new signings for Spurs ahead of the 2022/23 season, one of those rumoured to be a centre-back, Levy could well be tempted to arrange a move which would see Lo Celso and Torres heading in the opposite directions.
In other news… Spurs are reportedly considering a move for this ‘outstanding’ goalkeeper