It seems that West Brom will have some competition to fight for Ignacio Camacho during the next transfer window after all.
The chase for the midfielder has been quite confusing in the past few days, as after a bid from Valencia was reported, Malaga owner Abdullah Al-Thani claimed there were no offers from the club for the 26-year-old.
But interest ended up being confirmed today, as in an interview with Cadena Cope, Malaga director Francesc Arnau said the negotiations took place.
“There was a conversation between sports directors from Málaga and Valencia. I talked to Alexanko. There was a conversation that did not end in an official document. They are market situations that occur. The important thing is that Camacho is here, in an exceptional line, he is involved,” (via Super Deporte).
At the time, it was reported that Valencia would be offering around €10m for the player.
This confirmation ends the possibilities of West Brom having a clear run to sign the midfielder. The possibility had been brought because the Baggies had been the only club who held official talks to sign the player over the past couple of windows.
Malaga’s plans were to raise the player’s release clause to €40m, since his current deal could set him free for only €18m. West Brom didn’t quite reach that amount in the summer, but Camacho was keen on the move.
On Valencia interest, Camacho said last week: “It is true that there were calls, but the clearest route was West Brom.”
Given that Valencia wanted to pay around €10m, and West Brom offered 50% more than that, Tony Pulis still holds the advantage.
