Villarreal have not been able to count on Juan Foyth at right-back for some time, with the Argentina international suffering from injuries over the last two years. Meanwhile Kiko Femenia is already 33 years of age, forcing the Yellow Submarine to look at alternatives, one of which is Rayo Vallecano right-back Andrei Ratiu.
Coming off a strong Euro 2024 with Romania, which caught admiring glances from England and Italy. Ratiu came through the ranks in Castellon, and the Yellow Submarine still have 50% of his rights. That was in place when he left Villarreal, and when he joined from Huesca, they retained 50% of any sale.
That could make any deal cheaper for them, although he is under contract until 2028 in Vallecas. Ratiu has relegated Ivan Balliu to the bench in recent weeks under Inigo Perez, and he performed well, grabbing a goal against Atletico Madrid. MD say that Villarreal are keeping a very close eye on Ratiu as a potential target. It could well be that they buy him back in order to then sell him at a profit too.
