AC Milan on verge of signing Villarreal ace with Bacca going other way

AC Milan are close to signing Villarreal midfielder Samu Castillejo on a season-long loan deal with Carlos Bacca moving in the opposite direction, claims Gianluca Di Marzio.

The Serie A giants have already made seven signings this summer and will make their eighth when they announce Tiemoue Bakayoko’s arrival from Chelsea in the next 24 hours.

Gennaro Gattuso’s side are not done there and are poised to bolster their midfield ranks further with the loan signing of Castillejo in a deal worth up to €4m (£3.6m).

By agreeing to send Bacca back to Spain, Milan have also managed to drive down Castillejo’s valuation and will be able to make his switch permanent next summer for just €14m (£12.5m).

The 23-year-old has spent the last three years at Villarreal and has developed into an important player for the Yellow Submarines during that period, even finishing last term as their second highest WhoScored rated player (7.16).

Villarreal had a far superior win ratio in La Liga last season with Castillejo in the starting XI (60%) compared to when he did not feature from the off (23.1%).

Castillejo played a direct hand in 11 goals in 30 league appearances for Villarreal last season, while also winning the WhoScored Man of the Match award on three occasions.