Barcelona manager Xavi likes €14 million-rated Tottenham playmaker ‘a lot’ – report

While a new pivot midfielder is a top priority for FC Barcelona this summer, manager Xavi Hernandez is also looking for an interior midfielder who can feed passes and create chances for star striker Robert Lewandowski.

Links to Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City persist, but Barça are also looking at other possibilities as they wish to add an attack-minded midfielder beyond the German.

And according to Ferran Martinez and Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo, Xavi likes Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Giovani Lo Celso ‘a lot’.

The 27-year-old Argentine international has spent the last two seasons on loan at Villarreal and made a decent impression. And, Xavi believes that he fits the profile of the midfielder that he is looking for in the market.

Lo Celso has played 51 matches for the Yellow Submarine across two seasons and has directly contributed with seven goals (3G, 4A). But, his spell at Real Betis previously, during which he netted 16 goals and set up six more from 45 games is evidence of the quality he possesses.

Lo Celso will be returning to Tottenham now that his time at Villarreal on loan has come to an end. He has a contract with the Premier League club until 2025 and it remains to be seen what new manager Ange Postecoglou decides to do with him.

The Argentine international’s current market value stands at €14 million, but it is likely that he will cost much more than that figure if Barça were indeed to act on the interest shown in him by manager Xavi.

Apart from Lo Celso, the Barça head coach also likes another Villarreal star in Alex Baena. However, a move for the 21-year-old is seen as complicated due to his contract and release clause.

Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.