Demir and Pablo Torre on Elche's Radar

Elche will commence their pre-season this Saturday, likely without any new signings. Negotiations are progressing slowly, and so far, the only official movements have been departures: full-back José Salinas has moved to Espanyol on a free transfer, while Argentine attacking midfielder Nico Castro has joined Mexican side Toluca for a fee of around five million euros. They could be joined by winger Nico Fernández Mercau and forward Mourad, who have several offers on the table.

Although Elche has yet to officially announce any signings, several are close to completion, with winger Germán Valera potentially being one of the first to be confirmed. Valera, who is set to join on a free transfer after parting ways with Valencia, impressed during the second half of the season with Elche, making 18 appearances, scoring three goals, and providing three assists. His performance convinced coach Eder Sarabia, who believes the Murcian attacker can continue to be valuable in La Liga despite the significant step up in quality following promotion.

Two other players linked with Elche are young attackers with similar profiles: Pablo Torre and Yusuf Demir. Both possess great potential but have struggled for consistent playtime and urgently need minutes to avoid stagnation. In Pablo Torre's case, Sarabia has acknowledged contact with the player's representatives, and it remains to be seen if Barcelona will allow him to leave. The versatile Cantabrian, aged 21, started only four league matches under Hansi Flick last season and is keen to join a team that guarantees him minutes in the top flight.

Meanwhile, Austrian Yusuf Demir, who had a brief six-month stint at Barcelona during the 2021-22 season, has completed his third consecutive season without opportunities at Galatasaray and reluctantly accepts that he will need to move on.

Elche owner Christian Bragarnik is determined not to rush into the transfer market, as it is crucial for Sarabia to have a competitive squad capable of fighting for survival with adequate resources, unlike in their previous top-flight campaign.