Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City will be quoted €15m if they step up their interest in Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali in the coming months.
That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who report that the Spanish side will hold out for the player’s release clause to be paid if any of the interested parties step forward.
The newspaper explains that El Hilali has earned interest from Aston Villa, Brighton and Manchester City in recent months with a series of impressive performances for the Catalan side.
Whether Manchester City, or Aston Villa or Brighton, step forward remains to be seen but if they do, Espanyol have a plan in place.
According to Mundo Deportivo they will refer any interested parties to the player’s release clause, which is currently set at €15m. His contract runs until 2027.
This is not a bluff either, with the club showing in the summer that they’ll hold off and get the best price possible for their players when they continually rebuffed Arsenal’s attempts to sign goalkeeper Joan Garcia for lower than his €30m clause.
The Gunners put €20m on the table but Espanyol ‘stuck to their guns’ knowing that the goalkeeper’s price could skyrocket this season. They feel the same way about El Hilali and so will repeat the process if Aston Villa, Brighton or Manchester City come calling.
