Claudio Pizarro 14

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Yellow Submarine currently lie third in La Liga, eight points clear of fifth placed Sevilla, and are confident of securing a top four finish that

The Yellow Submarine currently lie third in La Liga, eight points clear of fifth placed Sevilla, and are confident of securing a top four finish that would qualify them for the Champions League.

Club president Fernando Roig has already started looking for player to bolster their squad for next season, with the club linked with the likes of Ruben de la Red and Edu Dracena in the last couple of weeks.

The latest player to be linked with a move to El Madrigal is Claudio Pizarro, who looks to be on his way out of Chelsea after just one season in the English capital.

Pizarro turned down offers from Villarreal and Werder Bremen to join Chelsea last summer, but has struggled to impose himself at Stamford Bridge, with the likes of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou ahead of him in the pecking order.

Villarreal are now ready to rekindle their interest in the Peruvian international, but could face a potential stumbling block due to his wage demands. Pizarro currently earns around €4million a season at Chelsea and would have to take a substantial drop in order to fall into Villarreal's budget.

If they can overcome that hurdle, then the arrival of Pizarro would surely spell the end of Guillermo Franco's time at Villarreal, with the Mexican international the player that was rumoured to be leaving when the Pizarro deal looked in the offing last summer.