Tottenham set to trigger €32m midfielder exit clause earlier than expected

Tottenham are willing to meet the €32m required to make Giovani Lo Celso’s loan move to the club permanent in January, rather than next summer, Real Betis’ president  Angel Haro has stated.

Lo Celso joined Spurs on loan from Betis prior to the start of the season, with Estadio Deportivo recently stating that former boss Mauricio Pochettino was the one who pushed for the signing to go through.

However, his progress appears to have stalled since Jose Mourinho replaced Pochettino as manager, with the Argentinian midfielder only played for seven minutes in the Premier League, though was a starter in the recent Champions League dead-rubber against Bayern Munich.

That has led to claims that Mourinho could send the player back to Betis as opposed sign him permanently, but Haro believes that rather than send him back to the LaLiga club, Spurs will actually exercise early their option to sign the player in January rather than wait until the end of the season.

If they qualify for the Champions League again, Tottenham would have to make the transfer permanent for €40m but they also have the option to push the deal through for €32m in the new year – and the saving, together with the current strong rate of the pound against the euro – means Daniel Levy and Co are keen to push through the deal as soon as possible.

Speaking to Estadio Deportivo (via Sport Witness) Haro said he had no ‘news regarding the purchase option’.

But that he believes Spurs will ‘exercise it because if they don’t, they will be taxed a lot if they exercise it in June’ and they ‘may also have to exercise it on a mandatory basis’ in the summer.

Haro added that Betis ‘understand Spurs will exercise the option’ but also acknowledges that he would be ‘delighted’ to see Lo Celso return to LaLiga.

Those claims follow similar suggestions by Betis’ CEO Jose Miguel Lopez Catalan, who earlier this month revealed the costs involved for Tottenham to sign the player in January and the summer.

“The purchase option [for Lo Celso] can be exercised in the January market and they would have to pay 32 million,” he was quoted as saying by ABC Sevilla.

“In June it is mandatory, if they get into the Champions League, and if not they will have an option. They will have to make the decision on whether to buy him or not.”

 

Lucas Moura has opened up for the first time about his failed move to Manchester United back in 2013, saying he has “no regrets” at the way his career has panned out.

“Yes, there was a conversation,” Lucas said. “I was very close to signing with Manchester United. It was still at the time of Ferguson.

“I ended up choosing PSG, I spent five fantastic years there, I won a lot, learned a lot. I do not regret it.

“Despite the hard times, the bad times, I don’t regret it because I grew a lot, I learned a lot. Now I’m here in the Premier League, and it’s a new hope.”