Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly close to agreeing on a swap deal that will see Jacob Ramsey move to North London and Giovani Lo Celso head to Birmingham.

Swap Deal Details

Giovani Lo Celso has struggled for game time at Spurs, and the club is ready to use him as part of a deal to sign Jacob Ramsey. According to reports from Argentina, Tottenham will pay £20 million plus Lo Celso to secure Ramsey, a highly-regarded 23-year-old midfielder.

Villa has been busy in the summer transfer window, signing several players including Ian Maatsen, Samuel Iling-Junior, Jaden Philogene, Enzo Barrenechea, Lewis Dobbin, Ross Barkley, and Cameron Archer. They have also sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus and Tim Iroegbunam to Everton but still need more sales to balance the books.

Villa’s Transfer Activities

In addition to the potential departure of Ramsey, Villa manager Unai Emery is allowing Moussa Diaby to move to Al-Ittihad for a club-record sale of £60 million. The arrival of Lo Celso at Villa Park will be welcomed by goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who plays with Lo Celso at the international level for Argentina.

Giovani Lo Celso’s Journey

Lo Celso joined Spurs in 2019 but has never fully settled at the club, spending loan spells at Villarreal during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons. He has made just 108 appearances for Spurs in all competitions, with 24 of those coming last season.

Unai Emery knows Lo Celso well from their time together at Villarreal and believes he can significantly contribute to Villa. Despite his struggles at the club level, Lo Celso remains highly-rated in Argentina, having made five appearances in their recent Copa America success and assisting in the 1-0 win over Colombia in the final.

Comments from Tottenham’s Manager

When asked about Lo Celso’s situation in April, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said, “Look, he’s a fantastic player, but with all these things you’ve got to keep the perspective that we’re at a big club, we’re going to have a big squad and if it is not Gio, it will be someone else that will play that role next year.”

Future Prospects

Lo Celso has one year left on his Spurs contract and has been linked with Real Betis as well as Villa. His high standing in Argentina is demonstrated by the fact that Lionel Messi recommended him to Barcelona as a replacement when he left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2020.

This swap deal between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur could benefit both clubs and provide the players involved with fresh opportunities.