Tottenham have made a £53million bid for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.
The fee would break Spurs’ record signing of Davinson Sanchez – the club paid Ajax £42m for the centre-back back in August 2017.
AP:Associated Press
Mauricio Pochettino is seeking his first signing since January 2018 when the Spurs manager acquired winger Lucas Moura from Paris St-Germain for £23m.
Lo Celso, 23, has an £88m release clause in his contract and it is understood Betis want to sell him at a price closer to this amount.
Spanish side Betis bought the Argentine last year after the player joined on a season long loan.
Last season the midfielder scored 16 goals and claimed six assists.
The star has also been named in Argentina’s squad for the Copa America. The tournament begins on 14 June in Brazil.
Lo Celso has already scored 10 goals for Argentina since his first game for the national team in 2017.
The news of the Lo Celso comes with a host of midfielders being linked with moves away.
Christian Eriksen, 27, is rumoured to be moving to Real Madrid and with just one year remaining on his contract there is little Spurs can do to keep him.
Another player that could potentially move clubs after the Champions League final on Saturday is midfielder Eric Drier.
Two seasons ago Manchester United were rumoured to have interest in the 25-year-old midfielder.
While Spurs appear to have made the first move for Lo Celso, there is competition for his signature with other Premier League clubs said to be interested in him.
