After his departure fell through late a couple of times, Samu Castillejo is indeed fleeing Milan, and he is headed to Valencia. The Spanish side will not pay a fee to get him. However, they will disburse some add-ons related to his and the team’s performances down the line.
The winger briefly spoke with the press at the airport (via Calciomercato).
“I am happy, as I was close in January. The time will come to say goodbye to everybody. I talked with Gennaro Gattuso, and he accelerated the process. I am joining thanks to him. He is a winner.”
Milan will save around €3M wages with Castillejo moving to Valencia. He has collected 113 appearances, tallying 10 goals and 15 assists. While he was a regular when he first joined from Villarreal in 2018 and a key back-up for a while, he featured just five times in 2021/2022. The Rossoneri are cutting down their frontline to make room for more additions.
The Rossoneri are on the verge of completing another deal in the same area. Frank Tsadjout will transfer to Cremonese, as per La Gazzetta dello Sport. They will eventually get a percentage of a future sale. The 22-year-old has a pair of solid seasons in Serie B under his belt.
Our Take on Milan Shipping Castillejo to Valencia
No surprise here, as the Spaniard fell out of favor, and the lists can only contain so many players. Napoli are also an interested party, as they hope this cheap signing will not hinder Los Murcielagos’ pursuit of Matteo Politano. The more interesting question is whether the Rossoneri will keep both Alexis Saelemeakers and Junior Messias if they will have the opportunity to sign Hakim Ziyech on top of Charles De Ketalaere, who is inching closer each day.