Valencia given €14m margin to sign new defender following season-ending injury to Mouctar Diakhaby

Valencia are running low on centre-back options, following the season-ending injury to Mouctar Diakhaby against Real Madrid. The Guinean international underwent successful surgery on his knee during the week, and he will now begin a period of recovery, with a view to returning next season.

Los Che also lost Gabriel Paulista in the final days of the winter transfer window, with the Brazilian joining Atletico Madrid. As such, they only have Cristhian Mosquera, Cenk Ozkacar and Yarek Gasiorowski as recognised centre-back options, although head coach Ruben Baraja does have the option to add to these.

As per La Liga rules, Valencia are able to sign a replacement for Diakhaby, similarly to how Barcelona did when they bought Martin Braithwaite from Leganes in 2020. According to Superdeporte, they have €14m at their disposal, although the likelihood is that they will target a free agent.

Shkodran Mustafi, who was previously at Valencia, is noted as a possible target, although it’s not clear at this stage who will be targeted, if anyone at all. What’s certain is that Los Che will want to keep their chances of qualifying for Europe high, so extra cover would be very nice.