Jose Mourinho 'approves' Tottenham transfer as Fenerbahce boss raids former club

Posted Sunday, August 18, 2024 by Express.co.uk

Jose Mourinho, now in charge at Fenerbahce, is looking to his former club Tottenham to help him in the transfer market.

Jose Mourinho 'approves' Tottenham transfer as Fenerbahce boss raids former club
Jose Mourinho is moving ahead with plans to sign Giovani Lo Celso (Image: Getty)

Jose Mourinho is reportedly planning a raid on his former club Tottenham after approving a move for Fenerbahce to sign Giovani Lo Celso this summer.

The Portuguese boss is keen to bring in reinforcements this summer as he aims to win the league title. Lo Celso, who is out of favour at Spurs, has emerged as a possible target.

Lo Celso was signed by Mauricio Pochettino but played under Mourinho in his time at the club between 2019 and 2021. And now he could reunite with him in Turkey after Mourinho 'approved' the potential deal, according to reports.

Turkish outlet Sporx claim that Fenerbahce are working 'feverishly' to add a new midfielder to Mourinho's squad, with sales of Miguel Crespo, Rade Krunic and Miha Zajc likely to free up some funds.

Lo Celso's representatives offered Fenerbahce the chance to sign their client and the report says Mourinho gave the go-ahead, with talks now expected between the two clubs for the 28-year-old. The Argentina international is also 'open' to working with Mourinho again.

His contract is set to expire in 10 months' time and the clock is ticking for Spurs to retrieve any amount from the £55million fee they paid to sign the attacking midfielder from Real Betis five years ago.

Jose Mourinho 'approves' Tottenham transfer as Fenerbahce boss raids former club
Giovani Lo Celso reportedly wants to leave Tottenham this summer (Image: Getty)

Ange Postecoglou opted to leave the playmaker out of Tottenham's friendly defeat to Bayern Munich on Sunday, which they lost 3-2. He had been playing at the Copa America with Argentina before, but Postecoglou made it clear he wasn't part of his plans.

Lo Celso only made four starts for Spurs in 22 Premier League appearances last season, scoring two goals and registering two assists. He had previously spent 18 months on loan at Villarreal but the La Liga club opted against pursuing a permanent deal.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was reportedly keen on signing Lo Celso earlier this summer in a cut-price deal, but the Spaniard signed Ross Barkley instead.

Lo Celso worked under Mourinho at Tottenham (Image: Getty)

When asked about Lo Celso's lack of minutes last season, Postecoglou made the brutal admission that suggested he wasn't good enough to play ahead of his regular starters.

"It is not just him. There have been a few in that boat where they just haven't had a real good run in terms of there has been injury disruptions and other times when he has been fit, other players have played in his position, but I still think Gio's been good for us this year," the Australian said.

"Through that middle patch when we had a lot of injuries, he really stood up for us and then got his own injury of course. He made a real impact against Luton at the weekend and it really helped us get over the line.

"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. No one will play every game. It doesn't happen. It doesn't happen at all the big clubs, so I am never really worried about the game time players are playing."