Is Borja Valero heading to the Etihad in the summer? One pundit seems to think so.
If it was meant to be a secret, it is not any more, after Spanish football expert Guillem Balague let the cat out of the bag yesterday on Twitter.
He tweeted: “Man City are casting their eye (over) Villareal’s Borja Valero.”
For those who don’t remember, Valero had a contract at West Brom between 2008 and last year, although he only spent one season at the Hawthorns, in 2008-09, before being loaned back to Mallorca, and then Villareal last season.
He was West Brom’s record signing, costing £4.7 million, going onto play 31 times for the club.
Last season he helped Villareal finish fourth, securing Champions League football, where they played Manchester City twice in the group stages, losing narrowly on both occasions.
He has gone onto have a solid season this campaign, and was capped by Spain last summer, doing what very few people have been able to do over the last 18 months, setting up a Fernando Torres goal.
This season he has scored six times in 36 appearances for the Spanish side, and now has attracted the attentions of Manchester City.
He would no doubt be a useful signing for the club, a deputy for David Silva perhaps, the man he replaced when he came onto make his international debut.
City may be flush with cash, but they will also be aware of any Financial Fair Play regulations, and Valero may cost in the region of £10 million, which is not excessive considering his talent, and City’s bottomless resources.
Will it happen? If City want it to, there is every chance. Valero has knowledge of English football, and should have no problem adapting, especially in a side as talented as City’s.
The club were linked with midfielders such as Daniel de Rossi in January, and may have space in their squad, with Owen Hargreaves unlikely to remain with the side next year, and no guarantees over loan man David Pizarro either. It will certainly be one to watch this summer, and for a non-marquee signing, City could do far worse than the talented Spaniard.
Would Valero be a good fit at City?
image: © klearchos
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