Barcelona 'determined to sign Tottenham Hotspur's Giovani Lo Celso in January'
The Argentina international's career in North London appeared to be dead in the water under Antonio Conte, who allowed Lo Celso to spend 18 months on loan at Villarreal.
After returning to La Liga, Lo Celso helped the Yellow Submarine reach the semi-finals of the Champions League under Unai Emery, who was supposedly keen to recruit him for his Aston Villa project this summer.
However, Lo Celso instead opted to remain with Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou, but he has remained on the fringes of the team thanks to the form of Pape Sarr, Yves Bissouma and James Maddison.
With Maddison out until 2024 due to an ankle injury, though, Lo Celso made his first Premier League start of the season in last weekend's 2-1 loss to Aston Villa, scoring the opening goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Despite the scoreline, Lo Celso's display received plenty of plaudits, and the 27-year-old is expected to keep his place in the starting lineup for Sunday's clash with Manchester City.
The midfielder's long-term future remains clouded in uncertainty, though, as his Tottenham contract expires in 2025, and a switch to Barcelona has been strongly mooted.
The La Liga champions have lost Gavi for the remainder of the season to a devastating ACL injury, and Barca head coach Xavi has confirmed that his side will target a replacement for the Spain international in January.
According to the Evening Standard, Barcelona are refusing to throw in the towel in their pursuit of Lo Celso, whom they tried and failed to capture on loan in the summer as Spurs demanded a permanent sale.
With Barcelona unable to stump up the cash
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