Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have joined the race for Rayo Vallecano full-back Andrei Ratiu.
Union Rayo report information from journalist Matteo Moretto, who has named the Premier League duo as suitors during an appearance on Radio Marca’s La Pizarra de Quintana.
Newcastle and Nottingham Forest interest
According to the journalist’s information, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest have shown interest in the Romanian international.
However, there are no advanced negotiations between the clubs at this stage. The 28-year-old has long been in the sights of the Premier League, though.
His impressive performances over recent seasons for the Spanish side have put him in the spotlight. But Rayo Vallecano will not make a deal easy. The club are continuing to insist that the player’s release clause – set at €25m – be met in any deal. They are not open to negotiating below that figure.
They already rejected an offer of €18m from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer. Sport Witness covered their attempt at the time.
Sticking to €25m valuation
Rayo insisted that they had no intention of selling below their asking price and stuck to it, despite the full-back’s head being turned. That remains the case this summer.
The club’s sporting management views Ratiu as a key component of their sporting project. Only an offer matching his release clause would open the door to a potential exit. The player, for his part, is focused on pre-season under manager Beñat San José.
He, like Rayo, is presumably waiting to see whether Nottingham Forest or Newcastle are willing to match the current asking price. Both clubs have funds to spend this summer following the big sales of Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali.
But whether they deem whether they deem €25m for a 28-year-old right back, whose only time outside of Spain to date was a loan spell at Adon Den Haag, remains to be seen.
