Sofiane Feghouli could be on his way out of Valencia as his contract renewal talks aren’t progressing.
AS reports that while Feghouli has hinted he wants to stay at Mestalla, and the club are keen to keep him as well, there’s a gap over his wages that is proving hard to close.
Indeed, it’s said that unless there is a ‘major surprise,’ Feghouli will be a free agent this summer as the parties can’t reach an understanding.
Valencia are reluctant to meet the wage request of the Feghouli camp as while they’re eager for his signature, they don’t want it ‘at any price.’
The Feghouli camp though argues that as Valencia would have to pay a transfer fee to sign a replacement, the player should be due a significant pay packet, AS putting the figure requested at €4m a year.
Valencia not only don’t want to pay that much but can’t pay that much, as the squad is approaching the Financial Fair Play cap, and trading would need to be done to lower the total wages of the squad to account for Feghouli’s pay rise.
Los Che are also hesitant as by paying Feghouli at that level, which would make him the second-best paid in the club behind Alvaro Negredo, the rest of the squad would look for a similar increase when their contracts came up and the club’s wage structure would be ruined.
Sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch is then looking at alternatives, including Getafe’s Pablo Sarabia, who is out of contract this summer.
