Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, all interested in signing Valencia defender Jose Gaya.
Valencia defender Jose Gaya is being scouted by major clubs and the 19 year old. The player rejected a new contract with Valencia and therefore could cost something in the region of A?13 million for the club who lands him.
According to The Metro, Arsenal have been scouting Gaya for months, and also made a move for his services in January.
Valencia refused to sell the left-back then as the club was hopeful that he would sign a new deal, but the left-back has now turned an extension down.
Chelsea are willing to pay A?13 million for Gaya, which would trigger a buyout clause in the 19-year-olda s contract, reports The Daily Mail. Real Madrid and Manchester City are also said to be keen on the player and are lining up bids for the player who they think can be their first choice left back for next season.
Gaya has become an integral and indispensable player for Valencia this season and has played 27 games in La Liga and has helped the club fight for a Champions League berth next season.
For Chelsea, the player is far from a necessity. They already have Filipe Luis playing back-up to Cesar Azpilicueta and if they were to sign Gaya, it is likely that he would be sent out on loan to some club and brought back if he does very well or sold if the need for him doesn’t develop after a year. For City, Gaya could well compete for a starting spot next season. The Manchester club look set to be selling Aleksander Kolarov to Lazio next season and Gaya could compete with Gael Clichy for a spot. City anyway lack young players and Gaya could be an ideal fit for the defending league champions. Real Madrid’s interest in the player is also there, especially after Fabio Coentrao claimed he would like to play for Manchester United and also looks set to be moving in the summer. Gaya reportedly rejected the first bid made by Los Blancos and reports claims Real Madrid were trying to convince Gaya’s agent to snub any future renewal offer in order to move to the Santiago Bernabeu instead. Arsenal are also believed to be making a second bid in the summer after getting their first one rejected in the winter.
Gaya has plenty of suitors (if that wasn’t made clear in the previous paragraph) and his refusal to sign a new contract suggests he wants to move to a top club (no disrespect to Valencia) next season. It will be up to him where he feels he can develop his game further. However, he should make sure he goes to a place where he gets proper game-time and plays regularly because at such a time in his career, he needs to ensure he plays every week so the development doesn’t get stalled.