On the morning of August 31, Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur announced that they had reached an agreement with La Liga’s Real Betis regarding the transfer of Giovanni Lo Celso.
The specific terms of the final agreement have not been disclosed, but it is expected that Betis will pay approximately 5 million euros to sign Lo Celso. To facilitate this deal, Betis also had to include the future transfer rights of one of their most promising players, American Johnny Cardoso, as an additional condition. Tottenham will have the right to repurchase Lo Celso at a price of 30 million euros next summer and enjoys priority purchasing rights. If Tottenham does not exercise its right of first refusal, they will receive a 15% share of any future transfer fee for Lo Celso.
This midfielder made his starting debut in the Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade in November 2019, scoring a goal to help the team win 4-0. In March 2024, he completed his 100th appearance for Tottenham in a match against Luton. During his time at Tottenham, Lo Celso played a total of 108 games, contributing 10 goals.
On the international stage, Lo Celso was part of the Argentine national team that won the Copa America in 2021 and successfully defended the title this summer. Unfortunately, due to injury, he missed the 2022 World Cup and was unable to win the championship with his team.
Betis’ sporting director Manu Fajardo stated that bringing back this left-footed player was not easy. After confirming that they could not sign their top target Dani Ceballos, Betis turned to Lo Celso. According to reports from Marca, Betis has been negotiating with Lo Celso for several months. Despite the complexity of the negotiations, Betis ultimately achieved its goal.