Villarreal will do everything they can to sign Gio Lo Celso from Tottenham

Villarreal are coming off the back of an historic Champions League run and have brought in a significant income from it. Previously it as their smart investment that got them to that point and the club are now looking to do so again with a sure thing.

Or about as close as they can get to it. Giovani Lo Celso arrived at Villarreal on loan in the January transfer window and impressed as much as anybody in the second half of the season.

CEO of the club Fernando Roig Negueroles, son of President Roig Alfonso, confirmed that they were looking to prise him away from Tottenham Hotspur permanently this summer.

“It’s a complex operation, but the truth is that he is a player that has been happy here and us with the player.”

“We will do everything possible so that we can count on him next year, but it won’t be easy to achieve that.”

“The thing is, he is a very good player that has been at PSG, Betis, Tottenham, a very good half year here… he is a starter with the Argentine national team, a very important footballer. He has given us a lot and let’s hope he can give us more going forward.”

He made those comments in an interview with Marca, also confirming that they would be happy to hang onto Pau Torres if they could.

Remarkably open, he also confirmed there was interest in Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma, but that they had received no offers for either player.

The difference between Villarreal and many other clubs at a similar level is that they have managed their finances well enough so that selling is not a necessity. Although they will always let a player go for a big offer, they are able to hold onto players and hold out for those offers when others might not be.