Madrid, Aug 5 (IANS) Sevilla wing-back Juanlu Sanchez is on the verge of completing a move to Premier League club Bournemouth, the defender confirmed on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old spoke to the media at Seville airport as he prepared to fly to England to complete the deal, which will see him sign a contract through June 2030 with the club now coached by Marco Rose, reports Xinhua.
“At the end of the day, it’s a good project to continue growing, and it’s what we both needed,” said Juanlu, who will reportedly cost Bournemouth around 11 million euros (12.7 million U.S. dollars), providing a much-needed boost to Sevilla’s finances.
“The club (Sevilla) needed that income, and I also needed to keep growing. Leaving home is always complicated, but when I saw the project and the club saw the offer, I think neither of us had many doubts,” he admitted.
Juanlu acknowledged that the deal had taken a long time to finalise but said he was “really looking forward to what’s to come.”
“These have been wonderful years, some a little tough, but in the end, we’ve all pulled through,” added the defender, who said he would be “cheering for” Sevilla wherever he was.
Meanwhile, Sevilla have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Fran Gonzalez from Real Madrid.
The 21-year-old has signed a contract through June 2031 to become Sevilla’s sixth signing of the summer. He made one first-team appearance for Real Madrid and played 46 times for the club’s B team, while also featuring regularly for Spain at U-20 and U-21 level.
Sevilla has reportedly paid around one million euros for 50 percent of Gonzalez’s rights, with Real Madrid retaining a stake that would allow it to profit from any future sale.
Gonzalez has travelled to the Netherlands, where Sevilla is holding its preseason training camp after beating Dutch side Utrecht in a friendly over the weekend.
He is likely to serve as backup to Odysseas Vlachodimos, who has returned for a second season on loan from Newcastle United after playing a key role in helping Sevilla avoid relegation last season. ■
–IANS
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