MADRID, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Villarreal has signed Uruguayan central defender Santiago Mourino from Atletico Madrid after a complicated operation which also involved Alaves.
The 23-year-old spent last season with Alaves, playing 25 times in La Liga as the club narrowly avoided relegation. He joined the team in the summer of 2024 from Atletico Madrid, with the sale including a buyback clause that allowed his former club to buy him back for four million euros.
Atletico decided to pay that money and then sell him to Villarreal for a profit of around six million euros, with the team that finished fifth in La Liga needing to strengthen in central defence after Eric Bailly left the club and Raul Albiol retired at the end of last season.
Mourino can also play at right back if needed and will give coach Marcelino Garcia Toral options at the back. He has agreed a five-year contract until the end of June 2030 making him an important investment for Villarreal's future. ■
