Barcelona have been rocked by the season-ending knee injury suffered by Gavi during Spain’s match against Georgia on Sunday. The 19-year-old is expected to be out of action for the next nine months after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and damaging his meniscus, meaning that the Catalans will be one midfielder light for the remainder of the campaign.
As a result of Gavi’s injury, there have been reports that Barcelona will look to sign a replacement in January. One of those linked has been Giovani Lo Celso, who is also attracting interest from Atletico Madrid and Real Betis. The Argentine appears to be out of favour at Tottenham Hotspur, having barely played so far this season.
Despite this, The Standard have reported that Spurs will turn down any approach from Barcelona or any other clubs for Lo Celso during the winter transfer window. He is expected to play an increased role over the next few weeks due to the Premier League side’s own injury problems, so he won’t be allowed to go.
Given their financial woes, it would have been surprising if Barcelona had been able to persuade Spurs to do a loan deal, but it appears that they won’t even get the opportunity. At this stage, Gavi’s replacement will likely be an in-house one.
