Espanyol coach Vicente Moreno isn’t surprised to see Aston Villa, Sheffield United and Burnley do battle for his in-demand midfielder Marc Roca, he’s told Mundo Deportivo.
The Parakeets might have fallen from their perch as Espanyol were relegated for the first time since 1993 last season but, for the most part, the Catalan giants have managed to stop most of their star players from flying the nest.
Striker Wu Lei opted to stay despite interest from England and the same can be said for centre-back Leandro Cabrera and £18 million striker Raul de Tomas.
It would be a major surprise, however, if Roca was still an Espanyol player next Tuesday.
MD reports Aston Villa, Sheffield United and Burnley are interested in a deep-lying midfielder who idolises Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets. The Premier League is his most likely destination.
However, according to Moreno, Roca returned to training today after missing Thursday’s session amid growing speculation over his future.
“He is calm. Yesterday he did not train but today he trained at 100 per cent with the rest of the team. Everything I can say about Marc is positive,” says Moreno.
“The reality is he is very attractive for many teams because he has a very high level. It is normal that there are many interested teams.
“Anticipating today. what is going to happen tomorrow is complicated. Let’s see tomorrow, and from there we will assess.”
Catalunya Radio reports that Aston Villa are unwilling to pay more than £9 million for a midfielder valued at £13 million.
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