MADRID : Spanish La Liga club Espanyol have sold Spain international striker, Raul de Tomas to Rayo Vallecano for a reported fee of 8-mn euros, plus 3 more depending on variables.

The striker, who had a difficult few months, has now returned to the team where he scored 38 goals in two seasons while on loan from Real Madrid between 2017 and 2019. Both clubs confirmed the move on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old and new Espanyol coach Diego Martinez had a falling out at the beginning of the preseason, and he hasn't played a single minute of the new season (although he has supposedly been carrying an injury). The Barcelona-based club had to sell him to Rayo for less than half the 20 million euros they had paid to acquire him from Benfica in January 2020 due to the breakdown in their relationship.

Given that Raul de Tomas scored 45 goals in 89 games for Espanyol and finished the previous season with 17 goals in La Liga, tying Iago Aspas of Celta Vigo for the most goals scored by a Spaniard, the price is even more astonishing.

His contract with Espanyol ran through June 2026, and earlier this summer, when it was rumoured that Real Madrid was considering him as a backup for Karim Benzema, the club requested that anyone who wanted to buy the striker fulfil his 75 million euro release clause.

De Tomas was on the verge of signing with Rayo on the final day of the transfer window, but the clubs were unable to finalise the paperwork in time due to rumours of an altercation between De Tomas' agent and Rayo President Martin Presa.

Now that the sale has been finalised, there is one very significant effect that has resulted from the delay. Although De Tomas forced his way into the Spain squad last season, his place in the World Cup squad is now in danger because Luis Enrique is unlikely to take a player to Qatar who hasn't played any competitive football in six months.

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