Alavés chief confirms Asier Villalibre reunion hopes | OneFootball

Alavés sporting director Sergio Fernández has confirmed his interest in bringing Athletic Club star Asier Villalibre back to the club.

Frontman Villalibre, for his part, spent the 2nd half of last season on loan with Alavés.

And the 26-year-old went on to play a pivotal role for El Glorioso, his exploits in front of goal proving themselves crucial to the club’s eventual promotion to La Liga.

Since returning to parent club Athletic during the summer, however, Villalibre has endured an altogether less productive time of things.

Condemned to a bit-part role en route to just four La Liga starts in 2023/24, the frontman, in turn, has inevitably been tipped for a fresh San Mamés exit with a view to next season.

And one club ready to position themselves front and centre in the race for his services, as alluded to above, are Alavés.

Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, as cited by Mundo Deportivo, Babazorros chief Sergio Fernández confirmed that, though any transfer would prove a difficult one to pull off, ‘we would like him to be part’ of the club for next season:

“He has history in this club but he is neither free nor on the market. We would like him to be part of Deportivo Alavés because he is just as in love with the club as we are with him. But now he himself has a contract with another entity and we will have to wait. We must respect the clubs that own the rights of the players.”

Conor Laird | GSFN