Aston Villa are currently keeping an eye on Giovani Lo Celso and have added him to their wanted list, according to a report from Marca, via Sport Witness.
How many games has Giovani Lo Celso played?
The midfielder spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Villarreal in Spain, having been shipped out for more gametime from Tottenham. He's been with the Spanish outfit for the last two campaigns and has already played in 38 league games for the side, managing seven goal contributions along the way.
The 27-year-old had also featured frequently for Spurs prior to leaving for La Liga, managing 55 top flight outings with the north London outfit before his short-term stints away.
Only 28 of those appearances were starts though – showing that he spent most of his time with his parent club on the bench and down the pecking order. There was one goal and three assists in total for the Argentinian with the Premier League side, and surprisingly he's spent more time with Tottenham than any other club so far in his career. Now though, his time with the Lilywhites looks almost definite to come to a more permanent end.
Are Aston Villa signing Giovani Lo Celso?
That's because, according to a report from Marca, via Sport Witness, the midfielder is a wanted man this summer. There are believed to be plenty of clubs tracking Lo Celso as things stand, and Aston Villa have been named as one of the teams considering a move for the Argentina international during this window.
Unai Emery is certainly familiar with the 27-year-old too, having managed him in the past with PSG and also with Villareal too before he made the leap over to Villa Park. Now, it appears as though the manager may fancy a reunion with the player. However, they will face competition for his signature from Napoli, Real Betis and Barcelona too, so plenty of big clubs are sniffing around.
The Catalan giants in particular will be a hard side to fend off considering their standing in La Liga and Napoli are also Serie A champions, but Emery's connection with the player could help tempt him towards the Midlands.
Lo Celso has shown his abilities in the past at being able to produce the goods on the biggest stage – so if Villa did sign him, it would no doubt help them to continue making strides in a positive direction.
Emery is not only familiar with the midfielder's game but has also heaped praise on the 27-year-old in the past too. He called the Argentinian "versatile" and added that he was "great" at Betis and that he was happy to sign him back when the two were at Villarreal.
It's clear that the two parties get on and also that the manager can get the best out of Lo Celso. If he can do similar at Villa, it could be a perfect deal for both the player and the boss ahead of Villa's surge into Europe next season.
