Ruben Baraja has revealed that he wants to stay at Valencia but could yet move to England.
Midfielder weighs up future options
Ruben Baraja has revealed that he wants to stay at Valencia but could yet move to England when his contract expires at the end of June after waving to fans on Tuesday evening.
Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United and Wigan Athletic have all been linked with the 34-year-old midfielder and could make him an offer to take him to the Premier League.
Despite the interest from English clubs, Baraja's first option is to remain at Valencia and add strength in depth to their squad in next season's UEFA Champions League.
"It does not depend on me and I have not brought it up," he explained.
Club decision
"I will not be thinking about whether I stay or not yet. It is a club decision and the only fact at the moment is that my contract runs out on 30th June.
"All I want to focus on now is training well and to be able to play in the games that we have left this season."
Baraja was substituted midway through Valencia's victory over Xerez on Tuesday and his waves to the crowd and standing ovation was seen as a goodbye in the Spanish media.
"The warmth of the fans does make me happy, but I am also pleased that the team qualified for the Champions League," he continued.
After rising through the ranks at Valladolid, Baraja joined Atletico Madrid in 1996 but spent just one season in their first team before moving on to Valencia four years later.
Along with 43 international appearances for Spain, he has helped Los Che win the title twice, the Copa del Rey, the Uefa Cup and the European Super Cup.
