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La Liga Leaks: Sinking ship at Sevilla, Morata wants Real return, United favourites for Gomes

It’s been quite the past couple of weeks for Sevilla and their fans. The joy of lifting their third consecutive Europa League trophy was followed by a valiant yet unsuccessful attempt to make it a ‘double’ by adding the Copa del Rey title. Not even 24 hours after the dust had settled on their defeat to Barcelona, speculation began as to whether Unai Emery would leave the club.

It’s a dream of his to coach in the Premier League and Everton appear interested in having him lead their new regime. The British media seem convinced he would jump at the chance to take over the Toffees, perhaps in part due to the fact he’s achieved all he can at Sevilla. But while that story rumbles on, with or without a certain Jorge Mendes involved, another blow has been struck: Monchi is leaving.

The loss of Monchi would be a huge blow and one that, if it’s to join another club, would cause confusion. “I’m proud to be at this club and proud to be Sevillista,” were his words after the Europa League triumph. He’s also appeared on various radio stations talking about Sevilla’s summer transfer window and how he was confident Emery would stay. The official word is due to personal reasons but speculation persists there is an offer from Manchester United.

Mundo Deportivo seem happy to stick the knife in even further as they speculate Barcelona want both Kevin Gameiro and Grzegorz Krychowiak to strengthen their squad next season. In the case of Gameiro, it looks difficult as Sevilla are demanding his €40m buyout clause and that’s a bit too much for Barcelona who see him as a back-up to MSN. There was an enquiry about Krychowiak, too, but nothing has been done beyond that point.

If that wasn’t bad enough, AS report Atletico Madrid are considering a move for Gameiro as well. This after their main target, Diego Costa, appears to be out of reach. Diego Simeone was quite frank after the Champions League final loss and while some suggested he was considering his future, no one at the club believes this is to be true. The other target for Atletico is Alexandre Lacazette – both he & Gameiro would cost around €40m.

In an interview with AS, Alvaro Morata has shone some light on his future and it looks certain to be away from Juventus. He spoke about wanting his situation resolved before Spain’s first match in Euro 2016 (13th June). When asked if his wish was to return and stay at Real Madrid he said: “It’s obvious that’s what I’d like the most. That’s my dream, to succeed at Madrid. But there are a lot of fantastic players at Madrid and what I want is to play and feel important. Next year I’ll play for a team that will give me the best chance of achieving that.”

Juventus’ director of football, Giuseppe Marotta, confirmed that Real Madrid had activated their buyback clause for Morata but it’s still not certain whether he’ll remain at Madrid, or be sold on for profit. Morata himself didn’t rule out a move to the Premier League either. “There are offers from England which are tempting, not just for the wages. A move to the Premier League wouldn’t be a step back, if anything it’s the opposite. With what I’ve learnt in Italy, if I have the chance to learn more in England I believe it would make me a better, more complete player.

Marotta also spoke about the futures of three players currently plying their trade in La Liga. He said talks with Dani Alves were “advancing well” but he stopped short of confirming a deal had been agreed. “The moves for Andre Gomes and Javier Mascherano are more difficult but they’re two very interesting players.” Barcelona have so far blocked any negotiations for the midfield/defender.

Juventus are finding it difficult to reach an agreement with Valencia for Andre Gomes as Los Che want most of the €60m asking price up front, something which those in Turin are not willing to do. The last offer from Italy consisted of €20m in bonuses. Manchester United could steal a march on Juventus if they offer a higher initial fee, but as yet, there’s been no official bid from the Red Devils.