Milan forward on Chukwueze. Villarreal open: “They want a big one”

Executives almost always speak in code, sometimes – if they have a message to send – they go straight. This time, very straight. Fernando Roig Negueroles, son of the president of Villarreal, part of the club’s board of directors, spoke to As thus: “Samuel Chukwueze is an extraordinary boy who has been with us for many years. It is true that he hopes to play with a big club in Europe or in the Premier League, and if this option were presented, we would sit down and negotiate. But it will be necessary to see if any offers advantageous for the three parties will arrive. No offers have arrived yet and Samuel still has a year on his contract. What we are clear on is that if a good proposal does not arrive, he will continue with us”.

How much does it cost

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Clear, right? Villarreal are willing to sell Chukwueze but want a suitable offer. How tall? In Vila-Real many think that it is around 25 million plus bonuses, a high figure for a player with a contract expiring in 2024 but understandable especially in the event of an international auction. And there is no shortage of interest here. Real Madrid have made headlines but it doesn’t seem like the designated destination for Chukwueze. More likely that Sam will leave the yellow jersey of Villarreal and all of Spain. This is where Milan enters the scene.

The numbers

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Milan have decided to bet strongly on Chukwueze for the right flank. In that position, Samuel is the favorite and Christian Pulisic one of the other candidates. Different players but still with an important history behind them. Chukwueze is 24 years old and full of shots. The latest was his first season as a starter at Villarreal, which ended with 6 goals in Liga 4 in the Copa del Rey, 3 in the Conference League. Whoever takes it is guaranteed sprint, acceleration, one-on-one, danger in the last 20 meters. Not a bad deal. It is less simple to extricate oneself from a complex situation at the level of agents: Milan had meetings in the past week and other meetings will follow.

Safe part

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And then, the great threat may come from England. Chukwueze is a player with good characteristics for the Premier League and by now everyone has understood how many Premier League teams can spend 25 million on a player: all of them. And then, his will will make the difference. Villarreal hasn’t received offers but can’t turn a blind eye: they know full well that those offers are in the air, virtually already presented. Beyond Roig’s sentences, fate is written: Chukwueze will change team this summer and will do it for a figure well below the 80 million of the release clause. In Spain they say that in the winter Villarreal would have sold him to Everton for 20 million and the final amount of the operation will not be too far from that value. Milan, on those bases, would sign tomorrow.