Javi Galan was being touted as the value signing in La Liga at the end of last season. After putting in some brilliant performances for Huesca last season, Galan was on the market when Huesca went down.
With a release clause of just €4m, it was surprising that none of the Spanish clubs playing in Europe decided to take a risk on him despite some excellent offensive and defensive numbers.
Celta Vigo did however and haven’t regretted their decision. Galan has been an ever-present for Chacho Coudet this season and it looks as if the Galicians might be about to make a 450% profit on Galan after just a year.
His release clause at Celta is set at €18m, but many clubs are working out whether they are prepared to pay it according to Mundo Deportivo. That price tag is one of the key obstacles for Barcelona, who are looking to provide competition for Jordi Alba without breaking the bank.
The other problem is the competition. The Catalan daily say that Premier League clubs are interested, but also Sevilla. The Andalucians brought in Ludwig Augustinsson for €5.5m, but the Swede has struggled at left-back, with Julen Loptegui often preferring to move centre-back Karim Rekik across.
Wherever he ends up playing next year, several clubs will regret not paying his release clause at Huesca.
