After the departure of Aissa Mandi and Jorge Cuenca, Villarreal need a new central defender. They have already signed Willy Kambwala from Manchester United, but a more experienced option is also wanted by coach Marcelino Garcia Toral.
Clement Lenglet had been a target, but due to his high wages at Barcelona, this option was discarded. Instead, Villarreal appear to have turned their attention to former Atletico Madrid defender Mario Hermoso, as revealed by Relief.
Hermoso is yet to find a new club, despite leaving Atleti as a free agent more than six weeks ago. He has been heavily linked with a move to Italy, although it could now be Villarreal who settle. Marcelino values the 29-year-old, and has given his approval for the negotiation.
Hermoso could be a very shrewd signing Villarrealespecially since he had reached zero cost. He would certainly be an upgrade from the recent Cuenca, who had been the specialist left-footed central defender in the Yellow Submarine team.