Villarreal made multiple big-money sales last summer, with Nicolas Jackson, Pau Torres and Samuel Chukwueze all departing. Although they aren’t required this time around, there could also be significant departures during the ongoing transfer window.
Alex Baena has been linked with Aston Villa in recent months, while Filip Jorgensen is a target for Marseille. Perhaps the player that is most likely to leave is Alexander Sorloth, who scored 23 goals in La Liga during his first season with Villarreal, having joined from RB Leipzig last summer.
According to Relevo, three clubs are showing strong interest in Sorloth: West Ham United, Roma and Al-Qadsiah. The Premier League side recently had a €30m offer turned down, with Villarreal demanding the entirely of Sorloth’s €38m release clause.
Roma made the first move for Sorloth, with an offer lower than West Ham’s. As expected, that was also snubbed. and they have yet to return with a proposal since. Al-Qadsiah also showed strong interest in the Norwegian marksman, but he snubbed them – they’re now focusing on a deal for former Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
It’s bound to be an anxious six weeks or so for Villarreal, as they desperately try to keep Sorloth at the Ceramica for the 2024-25 season. If they can. their chances of finishing inside La Liga’s top six would increase significantly.
