Xavi 'is a BIG admirer of Lo Celso' as he looks to add another playmaker

Barcelona manager Xavi has great admiration for Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and thinks he 'meets the midfielder profile sought' at Camp Nou.

The Barça legend believes he needs more players who can feed Robert Lewandowski and get assists.

Lo Celso has spent the last 18 months on loan at Villarreal and progressed well under Unai Emery, reaching the Champions League semi-finals with the club in 2021/22.

Xavi is interested in the Argentine, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.

The Spanish newspaper also claims that the manager likes Alex Baena, who has been on the books at Villarreal since joining their youth setup in 2011, but the 21-year-old has a €60million release clause and the Yellow Submarine want to keep him.

Lo Celso has two years left on his deal with Spurs and incoming gaffer Ange Postecoglou will have to make a decision on the 27-year-old's future.

There is no doubt that the Spanish midfielder is worthy of playing for a top team, having made 43 appearances for the national team.

There was a time, for a few months at the start of 2020, when he was arguably the best performer in Jose Mourinho's team.

But after 16 goals and six assists for Real Betis in 2018/19, the hopes were that Lo Celso could be more influential in the middle of the park for Spurs, and a lack of a defined position saw his consistency suffer.

He is no stranger to playing for leading clubs in Europe, having also turned out for Paris Saint Germain, and has done well to bounce back after a torn quad ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar.