Malaga move in for Cazorla

Malaga have agreed a deal with Villarreal to sign midfielder Santi Cazorla, subject to a medical.

No fee has been announced for the 26-year-old Spain midfielder, but reports in the country suggest it is around €20million – a record for the club and by far the biggest deal of the 10 signings they have made in a summer of significant rebuilding.

“This afternoon, the two clubs have finalised the transfer of international midfielder Santi Cazorla to Malaga, assuming the player comes through the required medical check-up,” the clubs said in a joint statement.

This afternoon, the two clubs have finalised the transfer of international midfielder Santi Cazorla to Malaga.

A joint statement from Malaga and Villarreal

 

Cazorla is due to have a medical early tomorrow, before following the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joaquin and Jeremy Toulalan in joining Manuel Pellegrini’s squad as Malaga look to compete at the top end of the Primera Division table next season.

Cazorla, who has 34 caps for Spain, was part of the squad that won UEFA EURO 2008, although he missed out on FIFA World Cup™ glory in South Africa in 2010 after a season spent battling injury.

He joined Villarreal from Real Oviedo as a youngster in 2002, but initially struggled to make an impact, and was sold to Recreativo Huelva in 2006 for €600,000, albeit with a clause in his deal that allowed Villarreal to buy him back the following summer for €1.2 million.

Some impressive performances persuaded them to do exactly that, and his second spell with the so-called Yellow Submarine was far more successful as he established himself as a key player.