Manchester City winger Nolito has said there is a possibility of him returning to Celta Vigo after a
disappointing season in the Premier League.
Nolito started in 14 games in all competitions for City since his €18 million switch to the Etihad Stadium from Celta last summer.
The Spain international has three years remaining on his contract but recently spoke of his desire to return to La Liga.
When asked about a possible return to Celta, Nolito told Radio Marca: “Of course there are options. In life there are options for everything.
“Of course I would like to [return].”
Celta would welcome Nolito with open arms but the 30-year-old would have to consider a huge pay cut to return to Vigo, according to the club president Carlos Mourino.
“Nolito’s return would be a great joy but we cannot pay the wages he earns in England,” he recently said, as reported in Mundoceleste. “Another thing is if he wanted to make a big effort, then we could talk.”
The forward was one of the top players in La Liga last season, scoring 12 goals and setting up seven more in 27 league starts for Celta in the 2015-16 campaign. Asked if negotiations between City and Celta had already started, Nolito said: “I’m not going to answer that.”
Nolito
had high hopes of making an impact in England but under City coach Pep
Guardiola, he made only nine league starts in the 2016-17 season, and 10
appearances as a substitute. He scored only six goals in 30 games in
all competitions for Manchester City while his last Premier League start
dated back to Dec. 26.
“In the end the season took a turn for the
worse but it’s over now,” Nolito said. “These are things that happen
and we must turn the page.”Nolito, who turned down a return to Barca last summer to sign for City, is also a reported target of Real Betis.
A big motivation for Nolito to move back to La Liga would be his desire to return to play for Spain.
Nolito was left out of Spain coach Julen Lopetegui’s squad for next month’s games against Colombia and Macedonia and appears to have lost his spot in the national team.
With Spain on course to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the former Barcelona player could consider a return to La Liga in search of more playing time
No comments: