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According to the BBC, Tottenham have submitted a whopping £53m bid for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who is on Everton's radar as per a report from earlier this month.

What's the word, then?

Well, it was reported that the Toffees and Spurs were locked in a battle to sign the Argentina international this summer, as the north Londoners searched for a Mousa Dembele replacement.

Everton were also keeping tabs on the 23-year-old as they looked to build on Marco Silva's impressive first campaign at Goodison Park.

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Real Betis secured Lo Celso for a bargain £21.5m after they exercised their option-to-buy agreement in the loan deal they agreed with Paris Saint-Germain, and it appears that they are looking to make a quick profit on their investment.

Andre Gomes is half the price

There should be no chance that Everton will go anywhere close to matching Tottenham's bid for Lo Celso.

Of course, the fact that he hit 16 goals and recorded six assists from midfield makes him an attractive proposition this summer for the Toffees, but that price should immediately put Everton off.

Director of Football Marcel Brands certainly shouldn't even think about matching Spurs' bid, especially after it was reported that Barcelona are looking for a fee in the region of £25m-£35m for Andre Gomes.

The Portuguese international enjoyed a phenomenal 2018/19 campaign whilst on loan from Barcelona to the Toffees, and a number of fans would be in dreamland if the club could sign him on a permanent basis.

Significantly, the fact that the 25-year-old Gomes is tried and tested in English top-flight football, a stage in which a number of promising foreign exports have failed on, should be reason enough for the Toffees to drop their interest in Lo Celso.

With Gomes available for around half of what Tottenham bid for Lo Celso, Brands and Silva should definitely pull out of the race.