Espanyol still assimilates, like the rest of the clubs, the earthquake that it will entail the injection of 2,700 million in LaLiga, when, however, you have no time to lose to secure your market options with a negative salary cap. The midfielder is the key piece to reinforce, and among the names surveyed, this same one appeared José Gragera, from Sporting de Gijón. About a teammate and demarcation, although more than positional it is offensive, Espanyol saves precisely a preferential option.
Is about Pedro Diaz, Sporting youth squad, in whose future Espanyol can play a crucial role, as AS has learned. Last January, in the operation that ended with the termination of Víctor Campuzano to stop at El Molinón –after acquiring a percentage of its federative rights, just in case–, the entities perica and rojiblanca agreed a right of first refusal on the midfielder, raised in seasickness. In other words, if a First-class club appears with a proposal by Díaz – as happened last summer with Eibar – that satisfies Sporting, Espanyol has the upper hand to decide to match the offer and acquire it as property.
Obviously, for this to happen, the RCDE Stadium should be willing to reinforce that exact demarcation, choose you among other candidates, have the economic margin to sign and match the price that a third party marks to snatch it away. Meanwhile, from Gijón it would be essential that they accept the sale of one of its key pieces, specifically the maximum assistant of David Gallego's team last season, with six passes on goal, plus another three targets.
It was precisely this need to strengthen its continuity, when it sounded the most to participate in the European Under-21 last March, which led Sporting's sports director, Javi Rico, to agree with Pedro Díaz's agents its contract extension, which expired in 2022, until 2025. At 23 years old, 1.80 meters tall and with a vision of the game that leads him to accompany the pivot and even act as a playmaker, has –in any case– a lot of future ahead, so we have to a right of first refusal is, to say the least, interesting. And more with Gragera also in the sights of Espanyol. Can it even become exchange currency?