What was an open secret has become official this afternoon: Maras remains in Almería after the club chaired by Al-Sheikh has exercised its purchase option. The operation has already been made official by both Chaves and Almería, who deleted the publication announced on Facebook to wait the Portuguese to inform their fans practically at the same time. On May 31, the purchase option expired, although Chaves extended it for one more month due to the pandemic, reaching an agreement in mid-June for the Balkan to continue in Spain.
Nikola Maras (Belgrade, 1995) signs until 2024, thus becoming the player with the longest contract duration, along with Martos, Vada, Lazo and Darwin, who also have four more courses left (although only the former Getafe player has guaranteed continuity). Almería presents him as the first signing of the 20-21 season, although Lazo is in the same situation, for whom the UDA also exercised the purchase option, in this case, to Getafe. The people of Almeria present him as “one of the best centrals in the category.”
Chaves, for his part, appreciates “all the professionalism put at the service of the institution” in the two courses he played in the north of Portugal. Yes, neither club confirms the amount of the transfer (Rad Belgrade sold it for 400,000 euros to the Flavian entity). The Serbian has been a mainstay in Almería, participating in 3,287 league minutes, spread over 38 games, in which he has scored two goals (plus another in the Cup). He is the second player with the most minutes, only two behind Martos.
If the purchase option has been exercised through Lazo and Maras, the UDA will not do the same with Ozornwafor, Coric and Juan Muñoz. In the last one there was interest, but finally the operation has not come to fruition. With the announcement of the transfer of the Balkan, two more centrals remain, since Peybernes will come out. Nottingham, Swansea, Getafe and Levante have asked about him.