Tottenham were this morning hopeful of completing a sensational deadline-day double deal for Argentina internationals Paulo Dybala and Giovani Lo Celso, evoking memories of Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa in 1978.
Lo Celso, 23, was expected to join from Real Betis on an initial loan with an obligation to buy – helping the Spanish club to reduce a 20 percent sell-on clause due to his former club Paris St-Germain – in a deal worth £55million.
On Thursday morning, Spurs had also agreed a £65million fee with Juventus for Dybala and reached an agreement with the 25-year-old over wages – but the move was being delayed by the striker's image rights, which are owned by a third party, as well as hefty agent fees.
Lo Celso's arrival paves the way for Christian Eriksen to join a European club after Thursday's 5pm English transfer deadline, with the Dane ending talks with Manchester United yesterday, citing a desire to play in Spain. European clubs have until the end of the month to add to their squads.
Spurs were also close to the confirming the signing of Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon, who completed a medical this morning. Spurs will pay £20m for the 19-year-old, with Joshua Onomah moving to Craven Cottage and a further £10m potentially due in add-ons.
While sources at the club were remaining level-headed, signing both Argentine forwards would be a remarkable coup for Tottenham, particularly after United failed in a move for Dybala last week, and provide further evidence on their continued growth under Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino, who called for his chairman to start a "new chapter" before their Champions League Final defeat in June.
World Cup winners Ardiles and Villa joined on the same day in July 1978, sending shockwaves around the world and paving the way for a host of foreign players to move to England. They helped to transform Spurs on the pitch and remain among the club's favourite sons, with Ardiles, who lives in London, still a match-day host and a close friend of his compatriot Pochettino.
The signings of Lo Celso and Dybala would take the number of Argentines in Pochettino's squad to five, along with Erik Lamela, Juan Foyth and Paulo Gazzaniga, and make a mockery of the manager's suggestion last week that he has no say in the club's transfer policy. Pochettino is a huge admirer of both players and made them among his top targets at the start of the summer, along with Tanguy Ndombele, who has already joined in a club-record £63million deal from Lyon.
Lo Celso impressed in La Liga last season, scoring 16 goals in 45 appearances, while Dybala, who dumped Spurs out of the Champions League in 2018, is considered one of the most exciting forwards in the world but has been the biggest casualty of Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Turin.
It is thought the Italian club have offered Dybala a lump sum to leave, lessening the burden of his £300,000-a-week salary on Spurs, but the additional cost of paying his representatives and untangling his image rights, which are owned by the Malta-based Star Image Company, will add millions of pounds to the deal and negotiations were expected to drag right up to the deadline.
