Aston Villa are reportedly still in pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, as Unai Emery eyes a reunion with his former player.
The Spaniard has already reconnected with Pau Torres, in whom he managed at Villarreal, with the four-time Europa League winner now reported to have set his sights back on the Argentine.
Could Aston Villa sign Giovani Lo Celso?
A report from Football Insider back in October first linked the midfielder with a move to Villa worth £15m, with news coming this month that the Villans remain interested.
As per Estadio Deportivo, from the viewpoint of Napoli, the Italian champions are set to face competition for the midfielder, with the Midlands club ‘very interested’.
The 27-year-old has played under Emery in two different spells, with both Paris Saint-Germain and most recently, Villarreal.
How good is Giovani Lo Celso?
Despite having a stop-start career in England so far, the Argentine has still managed to impress in the Premier League, seeing him dubbed an “amazing player” by former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.
Although he made the switch to north London back in 2019, initially on a year-long-loan, the Argentine has registered just 55 appearances in the Premier League, endeavouring on multiple loan spells away from England.
Spending last season on loan at Villarreal, the midfielder had the chance to reconnect with Emery, who was thrilled to be joined in Spain by his former player, praising him as “versatile”.
Now, the Spaniard could repeat old tricks in recruiting the 27-year-old in the Midlands, with the Spurs creator showing signs that he could be the perfect fit in Emery’s set-up.
Villa striker Ollie Watkins added 15 goals to his Premier League tally last season, in a strong individual campaign that led his side to a European finish.
In adding Lo Celso to the squad, Emery could hand the Englishman a constant flow of creativity, in a player that was one of the key creators in La Liga last term.
As per FBref, the Argentine averaged 2.48 key passes per 90 last campaign, ranking him among the top 1% of midfielders in La Liga in this decimal.
As well as being cut-throat in his dispatching of the ball in front of goal, the Spurs outsider ranked highly in terms of progressive passes, averaging an impressive 7.75 per 90, placing him in the top 4% of the Spanish top-tier.
Villa’s allocator of the pocket behind Watkins last term was predominantly John McGinn, who in comparison to Lo Celso, averaged 0.60 key passes per 90, suggesting just how much of an impact the presence of the Spurs man could have on the forward.
Hailed as an “incredible target man” and one of the “best outlets” by analyst EBL on Twitter, the Villa forward needs little incentive to score, making the interest in the 27-year-old an encouraging prospect.
The Argentine’s ability to read the game and dispatch the ball into a dangerous area makes him the perfect figure to deploy behind the Englishman in the free-flowing attack at Villa Park.
Monchi and Emery could pull off yet another superb piece of business this summer in capturing Lo Celso, who could be fundamental to the club’s progression next term.