What are they smoking over there at the Mestalla?
Valencia have reportedly agreed to sell both Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin to Villarreal for a combined fee of €13m.
The club are looking to make wholesale changes to the squad this summer, with Ferran Torres already having moved to Manchester City and more departures to come.
Big changes are needed at Valencia after an underwhelming LaLiga campaign, but it’s not immediately clear why the club hierarchy think selling their best player and captain would be a wise move.
Parejo has been at the club since 2011 when he joined from Getafe and has gone on to become one of the best players in the league outside of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
He has endured several crises at Valencia, playing under numerous managers, losing the captain’s armband and winning it back, while never having a big dip in form.
After nine years at the Mestalla, it now looks certain that he will join local rivals Villarreal, now managed by Unai Emery, in a deal that will go down as the bargain of the summer.
French midfield destroyer Francis Coquelin will also leave Valencia as part of the deal, rumoured to be worth around €13m for both players.
Villarreal said goodbye to club legends Santi Cazorla and Bruno Soriano at the end of the 2019/20 season, and they will be getting the best possible replacement in Parejo. Coquelin is fine.
I cannot overstate what great business this is for Villarreal and how nonsensical it is from Valencia.
