La Liga Leaks: Cristiano to sign new deal, Falcao to Espanyol?

Fresh after the news Gareth Bale will be handed a bumper contract after the Euros have ended it appears he isn’t the only one being rewarded - Cristiano Ronaldo is also getting a new deal. After speculation he could return to the Premier League it appears the Portuguese wizard is ready to commit the final years of his career to Real Madrid after all.

Cristiano’s incredible scoring rate continues to place him amongst the very best to have graced La Liga, even at the age of 31. Who knows whether this situation would’ve been completely different had Rafa Benitez remained in charge and continued to marginalise Cristiano’s influence on the side. Under Zinedine Zidane he appears happy again and produced some fine displays post-Christmas. The announcements for both his and Bale’s contracts will be separate according to MARCA so both can have their own big parade/celebrations.

Former Watford boss, Quique Sanchez Flores, is looking for a striker to boost his side’s tilt at the European places - and could turn to Premier League flop Radamel Falcao. The Colombian frontman hasn’t had a great time over in England, where his only significant action was cutting his hair, but still holds value due to his past exploits in Spain with Atletico Madrid. He isn’t Espanyol’s first choice however..

Alvaro Negredo is the man who Espanyol want but he doesn’t appear overly keen on a move and is actually holding out for a Premier League return, so say Plazadeportiva. There is a team said to be interested in bringing him back to England but they’ve yet to make a firm offer to Valencia or the player. In recent years he’s been linked with West Ham but it seems unlikely to be them this time around.

Atletico Madrid have been given a little boost in their hopes of luring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to El Calderon this summer after the striker admitted playing in Spain was a dream of his. “For me it’d be a dream to play here (in Spain) because part of my family live here. It’s been my dream since I was a little boy.” He’s currently visiting his mother’s home town in Spain during his summer break.

Sevilla are set to be tested again this summer as Barcelona prepare to start negotiations with them over their star striker Kevin Gameiro. The French forward, who inexplicably didn’t make their Euro 2016 squad, has been informed of Barcelona’s interest in signing him and is awaiting developments. Barcelona first want to wrap up the Samuel Umtiti deal and Neymar’s new contract before sitting down with Monchi. They won’t pay his €40m buyout clause but are hopeful they can come to an agreement that suits all parties.

Other news and rumours:

• Vicente Iborra is attracting interest from the Premier League. He’s been linked with moves to West Brom, West Ham and Southampton in recent months but the player’s priority is to stay at Sevilla.

• Rafael van der Vaart’s time at Real Betis continues to be forgettable. He was criticised for his lack of fitness last week and refused a move to China because they didn’t offer enough money. Gustavo Payet is happy for him to leave.

• Sevilla could move for Leroy Fer as a replacement for Grzegorz Krychowiak.