Tottenham star Giovani Lo Celso has reportedly given his ‘approval’ to Napoli ahead of….

Tottenham star Giovani Lo Celso has reportedly given his ‘approval’ to Napoli ahead of the January transfer window. The midfielder has been linked with a departure from north London, with the Serie A side supposedly competing with Barcelona for his signature Lo Celso has only recently reestablished himself at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Unfancied and sent out on loan by Antonio Conte, the 27-year-old has returned this season and featured eight times under Ange Postecoglou. Injuries have indeed helped Lo Celso’s cause. The likely return of James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur in January will see the Argentine drop back down the pecking order. That could prompt him to kickstart his career elsewhere. Reports in Italy claim that the midfielder is attracting loan interest from around Europe. According to Italian publication Telecapri, Napoli could be the favourites to complete a deal after Lo Celso gave his ‘approval’ to a potential deal. The Serie A outfit are likely to strengthen in January having struggled in the defence of their first league title in three decades. Lo Celso’s potential exit could allow Spurs to strengthen their depleted squad. A centre-back addition appears to be the priority ahead of the January window. Micky van de Ven’s impressive start in north London was curtailed by a serious hamstring injury. The Dutchman is likely to remain absent into the new year, which will come as a blow given his outstanding partnership with Cristian Romero. Postecoglou’s lack of serious options in the centre of defence was exposed when the Australian was forced to deploy four full-backs across his defence with Romero suspended at the start of December. Eric Dier remains out of favour and could leave when his contract expires in the summer. Spurs have hired former Aston Villa chief Johan Lange as their new sporting director. Lange replaces Fabio Paratici who resigned after being handed a 30-month ban from all football activity. That suspension has since been relaxed, allowing the Italian to work for Spurs in a freelance consultancy role. Danish executive Lange has already started planning for the January transfer window. Postecoglou has said that he will also have more involvement than before to ensure his squad is ready for the second half of the season.