It has been a dismal domestic season so far for Villarreal. Being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Unionistas de Salamanca last weekend was the icing on the cake for Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side, who occupy 14th in the La Liga table after 20 matchdays (they will fall to 15th irrespective of the result in Mallorca-Celta Vigo later on Saturday).
Reinforcements are required in order to give Marcelino a fighting chance of turning things around over the next few months. Eric Bailly has already re-joined, while a right winger is also wanted by club bosses. Further to that, a new central midfielder could soon be required, with Ramon Terrats injured and Etienne Capoue being linked with a move away.
As per Marca, Villarreal have lined up Pape Gueye has a possible target. The 24-year-old is out of favour at Marseille, and his contract is up at the end of the season. This would likely mean that he is available on a cut-price deal.
However, the problem for Villarreal is that Gueye, who spent the second half of last season at Sevilla, is currently with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations. It means that he would not be available to play until later this month at the very earliest, which would be a pretty significant issue for the Yellow Submarine.
