Valencia turn to free-agent route with Dieng and De Haas | OneFootball

Valencia have secured Aliou Dieng and Justin De Haas on pre-contracts to join next summer as free agents. According to Superdeporte, the pair have committed, with their deals due to expire at Famalicao and Al-Ahly SC, which first reported De Haas’s name.

The arrivals are part of a market approach driven by Ron Gourlay, with Lisandro Isei positioned directly beneath him. The revamped scouting structure has widened the club’s reach beyond its recent footprint.

How both adapt to La Liga remains to be seen, especially Dieng, who has not played outside Egypt until the age of 28. Even so, the moves are framed as a shift in how Mestalla targets talent.

Valencia have seldom done their business early in recent windows, typically acting late and rarely pouncing on players near contract expiry. In these cases, terms were settled roughly half a season before the campaign ends.

Recent zero-fee additions have included Stole Dimitrievski, agreed in May, plus Samu Castillejo and Edinson Cavani. Those were different circumstances, yet they also arrived at no upfront cost.

For De Haas, the plan is to make him a long-term contributor at Mestalla. He has agreed a four-season contract through 2030, moving ahead of other suitors during the best season of the Dutch centre-back’s career.

Source: Superdeporte