Deportivo la Coruna are hoping they will convince Real Madrid to let them keep exciting promising midfielder Fede Valverde for another season after the Galician club were relegated from La Liga.
The 19-year-old, who is training with Uruguay ahead of next month’s World Cup, spent the 2017-18 campaign on loan at Deportivo.
Contracted to Madrid until June 2021, Valverde last month declared his wish to remain at Depor beyond this summer, even if it meant playing in the Segunda Division.
Deportivo sporting director Carmelo del Pozo said in a news conference: “Fede himself manifested publicly and to us privately that he would love to continue with us.
“He is a player that last year did not have the performances we all desired. He is a player of a level much higher than the division we will play in. Our idea is to try to fight for him to remain.
“Real Madrid own his rights and we have to give time for Real Madrid to see if they think the option of Deportivo [for Fede] is interesting for them or not.”
Valverde scored three goals in 30 appearances for Real’s Castilla team in the 2016-17 campaign, helping them finish 11th in Spain’s third division.
In his first La Liga campaign, he made 24 league appearances for Depor, including 12 as a starter, but could not help the Galician outfit avoid the drop.
Depor, meanwhile, are looking for a new coach after announcing this week that Clarence Seedorf would not continue at the club.
The Dutchman grabbed the helm of the first team in February but steered the team to just two wins and six draws in 16 games.
Adriana Garcia is a Valencia-based football writer who covers La Liga for ESPN FC.
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