Espanyol, in the final shortlist for Castillejo

It transpired on Wednesday in several media outlets that Samu Castillejo could be an option for Espanyol, taking into account the departure of Álvaro Vadillo to Málaga and that the blue and white squad has a free card. A day later, there are already several teams that have not shown interest in the situation of the former Villarreal player, now in Milan, but Espanyol, who is in the final three weeks before the winter market closes.

There are other First clubs that have also been interested, like Espanyol, although in none of the cases has there been more progress at the moment. The operation, yes, could be carried out at full speed taking into account the intentions of the Italian club and the player. If the numbers add up, the one that offers the best conditions will take the 26-year-old footballer (27 on January 18) whose representative is the same as Raúl de Tomás.

The footballer himself, after several media echoed on Wednesday, denied it this Thursday on his social networks. Castillejo has barely played five games in the Italian league this season and wants to have more prominence. His salary, which is around 2.5 million, is the main impediment to the operation, which is why, of the interested teams, the one that negotiates better conditions with Milan will be the one that can have the most facilities for his transfer.

Excessive movements are not expected at Espanyol this January after Vadillo’s departure. Other players like Fran Mérida have had offers from Málaga or Ponferradina, and it is not surprising that he can terminate if he finds a better destination considering that his contract ends on June 30 and he will not renew. A situation that Óscar Melendo and Oier Olazábal also face, although in these cases an exit is not expected now.

Castillejo can act on both flanks and his arrival, if it happens, will enhance the game of an Espanyol team that has not found the best performance from Adrián Embarba on the right flank and Javi Puado plays on the left flank, who can also play alongside Raúl de Tomás in the lead or the playmaker. In the next few days the future of Samu Castillejo will be elucidated.