Whenever a footballer hires Pini Zahavi as his new agent, that usually only means one thing.
There is arguably no one better in the game when it comes to securing their client a big-money move to a major European club.
And when Gabri Veiga joined forces with Zahavi recently, amid reported interest from Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle United and more, it only added to the feeling that the Spaniard’s heroic, two-goal salvo on the final day of the La Liga season would also double-up as his farewell appearance in the baby blue of Celta Vigo.
Veiga was in tears at the end of that dramatic 2-1 win over Barcelona. A result which secured Celta’s survival at the eleventh hour. Whether that was a physical manifestation of relief, a bittersweet farewell or a combination of the two, only time will tell.
Celta president Carlos Mourino, however, is under no illusions. With a very affordable £33 million release clause in Celta’s contract, there is very little Celta can do to stop arguably La Liga’s breakout talent from taking his emphatic finishing ability elsewhere.
“We don’t want to sell Gabri Veiga, but they are going to buy him from us. And we can’t do anything (to stop it),” Mourino sighs.
“There are several teams after Gabri. Of the top 10 in the Premier League, four have asked about him.”
Newcastle United and Liverpool in Gabri Veiga race
Mourino did not confirm the identity of that mystery quartet. Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have all reportedly made their interest known, however. Newcastle too, though the Northern Echo believe that Liverpool are the ‘firm favourites’ as Jurgen Klopp looks for another midfield addition to join Alexis Mac Allister in his new-look engine room.
The good news, as far as Newcastle are concerned, is that a transfer tug-of-war between Eddie Howe and Real Madrid can probably be avoided, even if Klopp and Liverpool may now pick up the rope instead.
Los Blancos confirmed Brahim Diaz’s return to the Santiago Bernabeu after three seasons on loan at AC Milan over the weekend. And the arrival of the one-time Man City starlet surely brings an end to speculation linking Veiga with a move to the Spanish capital.
Diaz, after all, occupies many of the same spaces Veiga tends to drift into; both diminutive, stylish playmakers adept at finding pockets in and around the penalty area. This is not to say they cannot play together in the same team. Just, with Real Madrid looking at strikers, left-backs and more natural number eights, signing Veiga would be, let’s say, superfluous at this stage.
Brahim Diaz back in Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real endured – by their standards anyway – a pretty forgettable 2022/23 campaign.
But as Liverpool have already discovered, their almost-unrivalled pulling power remains as gravitational as ever; the Merseysiders bowing out of the Jude Bellingham race once a player who had spent many a month at the top of Klopp’s wishlist made his preferance for Real clear.
The likelihood that Real have moved on from Veiga, then, should instil confidence among the Celta star’s many other suitors that there is still a deal there to be done.
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