Osasuna hoping to tie up deal for 22-year-old defender after strong Real Madrid performance | OneFootball

Osasuna fans bid farewell to former captain David Garcia on the pitch at El Sadar on Saturday, after he completed a move to Qatar for €8.75m. Los Rojillo have set their sights on his replacement.

Despite links earlier in the transfer window to Alaves’ Abdel Abqar, but now Relevo report that they are accelerating a move for Real Valladolid’s Enzo Boyomo. They are waiting for the green light from the 22-year-old Cameroonian centre-back, who put in a strong showing against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

If that move goes through, then Valladolid already have a loan move for Cenk Ozkacar of Valencia tied up too. It would give them sufficient space in their salary limit to sign midfielder Pablo Martinez from Levante, who is also of interest to Valencia.

Los Che will have €1.4m that they are saving on Ozkacar’s salary to bring in a replacement. Spartak Moscow’s 24-year-old Paraguayan central defender Alexis Duarte is one of the players Los Che like the look of, in what would also be a loan deal.

It will be no easy feat for Osasuna to replace Garcia, but Vicente Moreno will certainly be looking to improve defensively from last season. Boyomo certainly looks like a smart investment, given his age and trajectory. Boyomo came through the system at Blackburn in England, before joining Albacete on a free as an 18-year-old. After three seasons as a regular there, he was a key part of Valladolid’s promotion push last season.