Xavi makes DESPERATE plea for Barcelona transfer

James Shearman

• Updated: 25 Aug 2023 13:18 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona head coach Xavi has asked the club to make an effort to sign Giovani Lo Celso before the transfer window closes, reports Spanish journalist Javi Miguel.

Xavi has long held an interest in the Tottenham midfielder but has not yet had the chance to work with him.

Lo Celso spent last season on loan at Villarreal but he does appear to be in Spurs' plans for this campaign.

READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

New manager Ange Postecoglou used the 27-year-old in preseason and he could become important now that James Maddison has picked up an injury.

It is thought that Lo Celso would relish the chance to work with Xavi at the Catalan club.

Xavi's transfer demands

Xavi also demanded the signing of Joao Cancelo from Manchester City, 'going to war' with Barcelona sporting director Deco over signing him instead of Ivan Fresneda, according to Spanish media.

There have been previous reports that the Blaugrana had initially wanted to target Fresneda, but the surprising sales of Franck Kessie and Ousmane Dembele made it possible to go for Cancelo - who is Xavi's dream signing.

New sporting director Deco, however, believes that Barcelona will regret signing Cancelo over the Real Valladolid youngster, whose release clause reportedly stands at just €20 million.

Sport reports that after a lot of internal debate, "finally, Joao Cancelo was chosen, but Deco believes that the Blaugrana club is making a mistake by not signing the Valladolid right-back whose price may explode in the coming years, which will make it very difficult to sign him."

"Deco believed more in a Fresneda-type full-back for Barça as an investment in the future. He was clear that he could perform immediately and that he could solve the right-sided issue for years to come with a very economically advantageous transfer."

"Now, Barça will find it tough to sign Cancelo next year if the purchase option is more than €35m, as it will be. It is quite probable that there is no margin to sign him in 2024 and the problem will continue."