Why Albiol’s Valencia return fell through after talks neared completion | OneFootball

Raúl Albiol came close to rejoining Valencia at the end of 2016-17, but the move ultimately collapsed.

"The deal was close to being done, but in the end it did not happen because Valencia did not make up their mind," said Miguel Albiol. He was speaking to À Punt’s La Banda.

Albiol, now 40, plays for Pisa after leaving Villarreal last summer. A Valencia academy graduate, he was signed by Real Madrid, then Napoli, who paid 12 million euros in 2009, before joining Villarreal.

A year before talks involving Mateu Alemany and agent García Quilón, Albiol had renewed at Napoli with a short escape clause worth six million euros. That summer Valencia needed a centre-back after struggles by Vezo, Aderllan Santos and Abdennour, and following Shkodran Mustafi’s 41 million euro sale in a window that brought 122 million euros in departures.

Club constraints under Meriton led to a request for Albiol to cut his salary by about one million euros to make the deal viable. Discussions cooled when the player was willing to compromise, but not to that extent.

"I drove him in the van and left him by a back entrance to a restaurant. People did not recognise him and nobody saw us. The press only found out afterwards," Miguel added, recalling a discreet meeting in the Colón area.

Valencia ultimately signed Ezequiel Garay for 24 million euros and took Eliaquim Mangala on loan. Later, Aderllan Santos and Aymen Abdennour departed and the club recruited Gabriel Paulista for 11 million euros and Jeison Murillo for one million plus 12 million euros.

Source: Superdeporte