Villarreal manager Unai Emery has admitted that he’s concerned about losing players, after Liverpool were linked with a move for Yeremi Pino.
Emery was speaking via Stadium Astro ahead of his team’s game against Hajduk Split tonight. And the manager, who lost at Liverpool’s hands in the Champions League in April, claimed that should an ‘attractive’ offer come in, he couldn’t stand in a player’s way.
“The market closes on August 31st and it does not make much sense. In England they wanted to change the date, but in the end it was detrimental to the English market. The logical thing would be close at the beginning of August.
“What can affect us is that there may be unwanted exit movements. What harms (us) the most is something unforeseen; A significant clause payment or an offer a player considers very attractive.”
Pino attracting Premier League interest
One of the players that Emery is referring to is bound to be his teenaged sensation Yeremi Pino. There have been claims that Liverpool want his star winger, and Pino has reported interest from Arsenal too.
Last week, AS went as far as suggesting that Villarreal were ‘expecting’ either club to make a move.
The fee being spoken about was around £42m. However, it’s also been reported by El Desmarque that Pino has a release clause of closer to £67m.
Although it’s been intimated that the first of those figures would be enough to land Pino, the second definitely would.
Liverpool scouting Pino, but funds better used elsewhere
He’s a super player who Liverpool have reportedly been sending their scouts to watch. But he’s still only nineteen. That kind of money for a club like Villarreal, and for a teenager no less, would be impossible to refuse.
From a Liverpool point of view, it doesn’t seem likely that there will be a bid forthcoming. The Reds may currently be in a little bit of a tight-spot with regard to availability, but they’re not short of quality forwards.
If Liverpool were to invest such funds at this late stage of the market, it would almost certainly be on a midfielder.
Instead, Pino might be one to keep an eye on with a view to a move next season. That is providing Arsenal don’t come in and upset their former coach first.
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