Tottenham Hotspur have announced the permanent signing of Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis until 2025 for a reported fee of £34m.
Spurs have exercised their option to sign Lo Celso after an initial loan following a run of impressive performances from the Argentina international. The Argentine has now penned a contract at the North London club for five years.
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The north London club initially signed Lo Celso on loan in the summer and had the option to either sign him this month for around £27m or wait until the next window, when they would have to fork out an extra £7m.
Announcing the deal moments after Christian Eriksen’s move to Inter was made official, the club said the midfielder has produced impressive performances after establishing himself in the team.
A statement on their website reads: “We are delighted to announce that we have exercised the option to convert the loan of Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis to a permanent transfer.
“Gio has signed a contract with the club until 2025.
“The midfielder has produced impressive performances after establishing himself in the team following a hip injury which restricted his playing time in the early part of his loan at the club.
“A former player at Rosario Central and Paris Saint-Germain, Giovani has appeared in 20 games for us so far in all competitions and registered two goals, including netting the first FA Cup goal at our new stadium against Middlesbrough earlier this month.”
Lo Celso is likely to be offered a regular central role, having previously been moved out to the wing to accommodate Eriksen who was their playmaker. On Saturday following his role in Spurs’ 1-1 FA Cup draw at Southampton, boss Jose Mourinho said his form had given Spurs ‘no choice but to execute the option’.
