Villarreal have been unable to count on Juan Foyth at right-back for some time, with the Argentina international suffering from injuries over the past two years. Meanwhile, Kiko Femenia is already 33 years old, forcing the Yellow Submarine to look for alternatives, one of which is the right defender of Rayo Vallecano Andrei Ratiu.
He is coming off a strong Euro 2024 run with Romania, which drew admiring glances from England and Italy. Ratiu came through the ranks in Castellono, and Submarinu Giallu still has 50% of his rights. That was in place when he left Villarrealand when he joined from Huesca, they kept 50% of every sale.
That could make any deal cheaper for them, even if he is under contract until 2028 in Vallecas. Ratio relegated Ivan Balliu to the bench in recent weeks under Inigo Perez, and he did well, grabbing a goal against Atletico Madrid. MD they say Villarreal are keeping a very close eye on Ratiu as a potential target. They might well buy it back and then sell it at a profit too.
