Espanyol set to land Font

Espanyol are believed to be closing in on Villarreal midfielder Hector Font.

New coach Ernesto Valverde is looking to improve on his team's poor showing last season, and has identified the 22-year-old as someone who has the potential to strengthen his squad.

Negotiations between the two clubs are well underway, even though Font still has 12 months remaining on his Yellow Submarines contract.

A loan deal originally looked to be on the cards, but Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini's admission that Font does not feature in his plans for the new season could result in a permanent transfer.

The Spaniard has had limited opportunities to impress at Villarreal and is keen to move in order to play more regularly.

"I only want to get minutes on the field and at the moment that is not possible at Villarreal," he said.