Football
Adriana Garcia 9y

Alvaro Negredo insists he wants Valencia stay

Valencia striker Alvaro Negredo has brushed aside reports of a possible move away from the club.

The Spain international, who played for the club on loan this past season from Manchester City and scored just seven goals in 36 official games, made a permanent move to the club earlier this month when Valencia's agreement to buy him at  £20 million was activated. 

The 29-year-old's transfer fee was the largest ever paid by Valencia.

Reports in Spain claim, however, Valencia's Portuguese coach Nuno is not counting on Negredo for the 2015-16 campaign.

This past season, Nuno handed Negredo just 16 starts in all competitions, often preferring to field Rodrigo and Paco Alcacer in attack. The striker also faces even more competition for playing time with Valencia having signed Spanish forward Santi Mina from Celta Vigo this month. However, Negredo maintains that he wants to remain at the club.

"My plan is to stay and nobody has said I'm not in their plans," he told the club's official website. "I'm here to keep working and nothing more.

"At the end of the day, the club decides and they choose who they want and who they don't. But nobody has said to me they don't want me. I'm really happy and relaxed and I want to give Valencia the best of myself. They've just exercised the purchase option and it would be strange [if they were to sell], but in football anything can happen."

Negredo came on as a substitute against Bayern Munich last week and did not feature against PSV Eindhoven in Saturday's preseason friendly despite being in good condition, leading to speculation the player could leave Mestalla stadium before the start of the campaign.

"From the first day after last season ended, my mind has been focused on Valencia," he said. "I feel just like another player. I want to work and continue developing. My plan is to stay.

"I'm here to show my face in public and put an end to everything that's being said, most of which isn't true....I'm happy and at ease at Valencia." Negredo is under contract with Valencia for another four seasons.

The club, meanwhile, has loaned Argentinian winger Federico Cartabia to Deportivo La Coruna for the 2015-16 campaign, subject to a medical. Cartabia scored four goals in 30 appearances for Cordoba this past season while on loan from Valencia but could not help the club avoid the drop to the Segunda Division.

The 22-year-old, whose contract with Valencia expires in June 2017, has been training with Los Che in their preseason camp in Germany in recent weeks.

A statement from Valencia read: "Valencia have reached a preliminary agreement with RC Deportivo to loan Fede Cartabia for the 2015-16 campaign, pending a medical. The player will leave the team's training camp in Germany in the next few hours."

Cartabia joined Valencia's youth section in 2006 from Rosario Central. He broke into the first team in 2013-14, making 25 appearances for the Mestalla outfit that season. Valencia finished fourth in La Liga in the 2014-15 campaign and will play in next season's Champions League.

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