Giovani Lo Celso, a January exit for Barcelona is officially ruled out by Tottenham Hotspur, according to reports.

Following Gavi’s ACL injury, which will keep him out of action for the remainder of the season, Lo Celso has been connected to Barcelona. The Argentina international strikes a chord with Xavi’s team having previously appeared in La Liga for Real Betis and Villarreal.

According to reports, Barcelona may attempt to persuade Tottenham to loan Lo Celso to them for the second half of the season in an effort to increase his market value after he was unable to start a Premier League match under Ange Postecoglou.

Even if a few other La Liga teams are vying for Lo Celso’s signature, an update from the Evening Standard has revealed that Tottenham will turn down any offer that is made for the player in January.

According to the source, Lo Celso’s potential suitors to return to the Spanish top division include Atletico Madrid and Real Betis, the team that Tottenham first signed him to in 2019.

However, given that Tottenham has chosen to hold onto the midfield player until at least the summer, all three of the suitors are likely to be disappointed.

Their decision makes perfect sense: Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, who represent Senegal and Mali, respectively, will represent their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations in the winter, depriving their midfield of another player.

Even if Lo Celso is a somewhat more aggressive midfielder than those two, they won’t let anybody else take Lo Celso’s place because they don’t want to run out of players.

Hence, after returning from his Villarreal loan, the 27-year-old will be looking for a bigger part in the upcoming season, which is not out of the question given his impressive preseason play.

Lo Celso hoping for increase in gametime

After all, Lo Celso’s recent injury history is largely to blame for him not getting much playing time under Ange Postecoglou.

Lo Celso was forced to leave the game at halftime in the Carabao Cup against Fulham due to a hamstring injury, which prevented him from playing in their next four Premier League games. This was Lo Celso’s sole start of the season.

Starting in the winter, he should be able to begin his second opportunity with Spurs, provided he can regain full health.

Lo Celso has played for Tottenham more times than any other team to date, totaling 88 games in which he has contributed six assists and eight goals.

Because his contract in North London is only set to expire at the conclusion of the following season, he will have even more motivation to play well in the meantime so that he may take advantage of his opportunity in the summer.

Barcelona, who are currently winning La Liga, will need to find someone else to take Gavi’s place now that Lo Celso is off the table.

Some sources have indicated that if Thiago Alcantara, a veteran of Liverpool, can overcome his own injury concerns, for example, they would move up their plans to get him back to the team.

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