JOSÉ CASTRO: "WITH REGARDS TO TRANSFERS, YOU MUST KEEP A COOL HEAD"

After the presentation of the agreement with Philips Lighting, José Castro faced the meda over the latest news, and the name of Éver Banega was the most mentioned: “It's true that we are negotiating with different players and for Benega negotiations are ongoing, but there are some conversations in progress which are known about and others which are not. In the offices work is being done around the clock, but as of yet there is nothing at a stage where we are able to comment. Benega likes the idea of returning to Sevilla, but to say that the deal is sealed would be untrue”.

Moreover, he was asked about Jesús Navas: “You all know that we want Navas to come back and we are working with his agent to ensure there is a chance of him returning soon. As with Benega's case, to say that it's very close or that it's going ahead would be lying". In addition, he made it clear that rushing things leads to nothing: “There are plenty of days left and everything that fails to materialise in two weeks could come together in three days. In any case, you need to keep a cool head, because our squad is untouched, with the exception of the three players on loan, and Trémoulinas. Players are going to come, but it seems like if we haven't already signed players, it's the end of the world”.

Regarding Vitolo, there are no updates: “There haven't been any talks, nor anything new in that respect. Vitolo is a great guy, who has given everything here and who is the captain. We have no intention of selling him, even if there may be some interest. In order to build a great team, we don't want to lose the big players”.

"It seems like if we haven't already signed players, it's the end of the world"

Asked whether the names being considered meant moving the focus away from young players, Castro's response was emphatic: “Players who have left have been of, quote, an advanced age, but also reputable and who are able to give us that little bit extra. Then there are the names who haven't left and among them are young prospects, as has always been our way of doing things”

After denying that there had been any offer made for Rami, he admitted that pace of the transfer market means that patience is required: “The market is stationary and this is the strategy involved in football. We are talking to important players and that requires negotiations which sometimes take more time than we would like”.

In the last few hours there has also been talk of Bacca, another player whose potential return has been considered: “It's another option, a player who was here before and scored over 60 goals. He's another of the many we are looking at”. The President concluded by reassuring everyone that a strong squad is guaranteed for the first Champions League match: “I'm certain that we will have a competitive team and players will come ahead of the playoff. Rushing ourselves is pointless, because the team hasn't even started to work yet. There are still ten days and a lot can happen”.