Report: £100k-a-week wages blocked Leeds and West Brom target’s £25m exit

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West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United wanted Raul de Tomas but his £100,000-a-week wages and mammoth price tag have consigned him to at least three months of second-tier football with Espanyol, according to Sports Finding.

There’s a reason why the Parakeets are already being labelled the “galacticos of the segunda”.

Espanyol were relegated from La Liga for the first time since 1993 last season but somehow managed to keep a talented if underachieving squad together.

Marc Roca, signed by Bayern Munich in a £13 million deal, was the only star player to head out the door during the summer transfer window.

And, in a man known in Spain as ‘RDT’, Espanyol boast the most expensive and feared centre-forward in the whole division.

The Catalan giants paid a club record £20 million to sign De Tomas from Benfica as recently as January, and were refusing to sell for a penny less than £25 million in the final few weeks of the window.

This, coupled with his staggering £100,000-a-week wages, meant the one-time Real Madrid youngster will lead the line against Alcorcon, Sabadell and co until January at least.

According to AS, West Brom made a late approach before Monday’s deadline, while Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United had a look in July before turning their attention to Rodrigo Moreno (AS).

Sports Finding adds De Tomas will see his wages drop to ‘just’ £40,000, with Espanyol looking to balance their books after relegation.

However, if this old-school number nine can rediscover the form that saw him score 14 La Liga goals for Rayo Vallecano in 2018/19, the Catalans won’t be a second-tier team for long.