Wednesday, 27th July, 2011
Malaga have won the race for winger Santi Cazorla, signing the Spanish international from Villarreal for €20M.
The 26-year-old had been targeted earlier this summer by both Arsenal and Liverpool, though interest from the Reds cooled when the Merseyside club snapped up Stewart Downing from Aston Villa.
Arsenal remained interested, but it is ambitious Malaga, under the leadership of former Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini, who have won the day.
"The departure of a player like Santiago Cazorla is not easy", Villarreal chairman Fernando Roig admitted, "but it is an operation that the club was forced to perform."
The amount Malaga have paid for Cazorla is believed to be €20M, although there are thought to be a number of add-ons which could take the total amount higher in time.
Capturing Cazorla is a coup for big-spending Malaga and yet another sign of the club’s ambitious plans for the coming La Liga season.
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