Villarreal have reportedly joined the race to sign Serbian striker Luka Jovic from La Liga rivals Real Madrid in the January transfer window.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Villarreal are the latest club to show an interest in Luka Jovic. The La Liga giants are eager to prise the Real Madrid flop away from the Santiago Bernabeu in the January transfer window but will only pay €11 million to secure his services.
Luka Jovic has seen his progress come to a grinding halt since joining Real Madrid from Eintracht Frankfurt in June 2019. While he was always likely to play second fiddle to Karim Benzema initially before possibly succeeding the Frenchman as the first-choice striker, the Serb has failed to impress in the opportunities afforded to him.
To date, the 23-year-old has managed a paltry record of two goals and three assists in 40 outings for Real Madrid. And it looks like things have reached a head for Jovic at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Los Blancos prepared to offload him in the January transfer window. However, there is no shortage of interest in the player, with Villarreal now joining the race to sign him.
The Yellow Submarine bolstered their attacking unit by signing Boulaye Dia in the summer transfer window. However, the Senegalese international has failed to get going at El Madrigal, meaning Villarreal’s attacking void remains unaddressed to a great extent.
With Paco Alcacer blowing hot and cold, Unai Emery could do with the addition of a striker in the January transfer window. Therefore, Jovic is a viable target for Villarreal, although they are not prepared to shell out the €30 million Real Madrid will demand to part with him permanently.
For their part, the Madrid giants are ready to propose a part-exchange deal involving Pau Torres. The Spanish international has been on Real Madrid’s radar for quite some time, with the La Liga heavyweights keen on signing a centre-back to plug the holes in their defensive unit.
However, Emery is likely to be unwilling to part with Torres unless he pushes to join Real Madrid. So, unless Real Madrid accept the €11 million offer that Villarreal are prepared to table for him, it looks like another solution will need to be identified for Jovic, who has been linked with Napoli, AC Milan, and AS Roma in recent weeks.
