Javi Sanchez has a £22 million release clause in his Real Valladolid contract, according to Pucella Transfers, and 50 per cent of that fee would go to La Liga giants Real Madrid if Wolves take the highly-rated defender to the Premier League.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the identity of their new head coach, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ mid-season recruitment drive appears to be revolving around players currently plying their trade in Spain.
Julen Lopetegui, per the BBC, has set his sights on six new faces. Negotiations with Atletico Madrid duo Matheus Cunha and Felipe are ongoing, with Sevilla’s Marcos Acuna and Osasuna’s David Garcia two more on the former Los Blancos boss’ radar.
Valladolid’s impressive return to La Liga has also not gone unnoticed; Wolves showing an interest in two of their players.
Wolves could sign Valladolid’s former Real Madrid defender Javi Sanchez
Teenage right-back Ivan Fresneda is one. Per AS, the Spain U19 international, hailed for his ‘incredible maturity’ by Valladolid sporting director Fran Sanchez, has admirers all across the continent. From Chelsea to Celtic, Tyneside to Turin.
“Fresneda has exquisite behaviour,” Sanchez adds. “He is a boy with incredible maturity and on the pitch. He is proving himself to be a first division player.
“At the moment, nothing has arrived. Yes, there are many rumours about teams that are following him, and that some of those are true. But, so far, we have not had any formal offer.
“The most important thing is that he continues on this path of humility, work and learning day by day. If we sell him or not, it depends on the offer.”
A reunion with Julen Lopetegui?
Sanchez, a 25-year-old centre-half, is perhaps the more attainable of the two. He’s potentially more affordable too. Sanchez’s £22 million release clause, while admittedly hefty, is still £4 million less than the one in Fresneda’s contract.
Wolves, the report claims, are currently ‘the most interested’ party in the Madrid-born colossus. Valladolid are not planning to sell Sanchez in January, however. As such, Wolves would have to trigger that aforementioned release clause if they are have any chance of luring the 6ft 2ins man-mountain to Molineux.
Valladolid would only get half of that £22 million windfall. Sanchez is a graduate of Real Madrid’s academy. The 14-time European champions had the good sense to place a 50 per cent sell-on clause in Sanchez’s contract when he left the Santiago Bernabeu for the Estadio Jose Zorrilla two-and-a-half years ago.
Interestingly, the right-footed Sanchez was rising through the ranks at Real when Lopetegui had a short-lived spell at the helm in 2018. He made his La Liga and Champions League debut that very same season.
Interestingly, Lopetegui has already admitted his interest in Cunha, Felipe and Acuna.
“Both (Matheus) Cunha and Felipe are options to sign in the January transfer window,” Lopetegui explains. “We like them. We are opening up different options. Because the reality is that we have to reinforce the team in different positions.
“(Acuna) is a player that I like. But we will see what happens.”
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