Villarreal in second Madrid swoop?

Villarreal are reportedly on the verge of making their second signing from Real Madrid in the shape of defender Diego Llorente.

AS caught up with Llorente’s agent Juanma Lopez, who also represents Alvaro Morata, and he confirmed that Madrid were in talks with an unnamed club, purported to be Villarreal, over another loan deal for the stopper.

“We haven’t talked about [Morata], only Diego Llorente,” he told the newspaper.

The 22-year-old spent last season at Rayo Vallecano and was one of the only bright spots in an otherwise-unhappy campaign for the side, who were relegated to La Segunda, as he then made his Spain debut in a pre-Euro 2016 friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Espanyol are also credited with an interest in the player, but he has been swayed by the Yellow Submarine’s promise of European football next term.

Llorente would effectively replace Eric Bailly, who joined Manchester United earlier in the month, and reacquaint himself with former Madrid teammate Denis Cheryshev, the Russian having completed a permanent return to Villarreal on Thursday.

Tags Diego Llorente Transfers
La Liga - Club News