Serie A club Napoli want to replace West Ham target Piotr Zielinski with Tottenham Hotspur‘s Giovani Lo Celso, according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla.
The lowdown: Moving parts
Signed from Real Betis in 2019, Lo Celso was sent on loan to Villarreal for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign having failed to break into Antonio Conte’s plans at Spurs.
The 26-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain man was an influential member of Unai Emery’s side in Spain, helping the relative minnows reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
However, upon returning to north London, Lo Celso remains on the fringes of matters at Hotspur Way having been omitted from the pre-season touring squad and could now be viewed as a potential successor to West Ham target Zielinski in Naples…
The latest: Contact made
As per journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Napoli are believed to have made ‘contact’ with Spurs regarding the 39-cap Argentina star.
It’s claimed that Lo Celso is ‘no longer part of Tottenham’s plans’ and Fiorentina have also taken a ‘significant’ look at the possibility of enticing the midfielder to Italy.
The report also states that Napoli would look to strike a loan deal first for the man once described as ‘magnificent’ by former Lilywhites’ boss Jose Mourinho, although much depends on the future of Zielinski.
The verdict: Cash in
Recouping anything close to the £27.7million expenditure splashed out on Lo Celso remains a possibility whilst the Argentine still has three years remaining on his deal (Transfermarkt), a situation that ENIC and Fabio Paratici should be closely considering.
After arriving with a burgeoning reputation as a creative force who could emulate Christian Eriksen, 84 outings in a Tottenham shirt have yielded just 14 direct goal involvements so far, a fry cry from what was expected given the fee paid out.
Last season, the versatile midfielder scored just twice and provided three assists in 40 appearances across all competitions in Spain and in England, highlighting a distinct lack of top form required at the elite level.
If indeed West Ham can manage to strike a deal for Zielinski, a player previously linked to Spurs this summer, then selling Lo Celso would be a wholly acceptable circumstance for the north Londoners, particularly were it to help fund a potential swoop for Roma sensation Nicolo Zaniolo.
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