Tottenham’s cat and mouse game with Betis for Lo Celso continues

Daniel Levy is once again playing a dangerous, high risk, high reward game with Real Betis over the potential signing of Giovani Lo Celso. 

Football London yesterday reported that Lo Celso’s move to Tottenham could be imminent, with the Spanish club leaving out Betis’ playmaker for their pre-season tour of Mexico. Others believe Betis, after Argentina’s deep run in the Copa America, had no intention of including Lo Celso on the tour. The 23-year-old has played a lot of football, unable to obtain any significant rest since the end of last season.

However, it’s more likely, with Betis’ recent signing of Nabil Fekir, that Lo Celso won’t play another competitive match for the Spanish club. Levy sees the Betis signing of Fekir as an opportunity to strong arm Betis, knowing they have extra financial incentive to sell Lo Celso. Betis need to recoup some of the funds required to purchase Fekir, and Levy believes a chance to get Lo Celso at a discounted rate exists.

Tottenham remain resolute in their approach, reportedly offering about £45 million for the Argentine. That’s a far cry from the £67 million Betis is reportedly demanding. While Tottenham are amenable to increasing their bid to £55 million, it’s unlikely Levy will match Betis’ asking price, with the chairman instead banking on an eventual Betis capitulation.

The longer this negotiation drags on, the worse off both teams will be. Tottenham need to get this signing across the line, and quickly. Lo Celso requires time to adapt to his new environment, particularly as August, and the start of a new Premier League campaign, approaches.

Betis know Lo Celso won’t remain at Betis but will do everything in their power to elicit a reasonable price for their prized asset. So the cat and mouse game continues to the footballing detriment of Spurs, who need the acquisition of Lo Celso for this summer transfer window to be considered a resoundingly successful one.

If Levy eventually gets his man for less than £55 million, it will be worth the wait. It’s a dangerous game he’s played numerous times before, which is of little solace to the millions of Spurs supporters waiting for confirmation of Lo Celso’s signing with bated breath.