Gulacsi moves closer to Villarreal's goal

Villarreal CF

Goalkeeping is one of the areas that has seen the most movement in recent weeks within the Castellon club. According to information published by Fabrizio Romano, the Villarreal is working to close the signing of Gulacsi, the Hungarian goalkeeper aged 36 with a long track record in European football.

The possible arrival of the Hungarian international is linked to the situation of Arnau Tenas. The goalkeeper is not in the plans of the yellow side and has already been left out of the squad for the first pre-season friendly against Benfica. If the agreement is finally sealed, Gulacsi would compete for the goalkeeping spot with Luiz Junior during the next campaign.

Proven experience in Europe

Gulacsi would bring an end to a spell of 11 seasons at RB Leipzig, where he established himself as one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Bundesliga. At the German club, he played in the Champions League, the Europa League and the DFB-Pokal, a competition he won in the 2021-22 season.

His career also includes a standout run at Leipzig , where they reached the Champions League semi-finals in the 2019-20 campaign. With Hungary, the goalkeeper has amassed 58 international appearances, a figure that reinforces the profile of experience Villarreal is looking for in its squad.

Before his time in Germany, Gulacsi defended the goal for Red Bull Salzburg, with whom he won two league titles and two Austrian Cups. He also belonged to Liverpool, although he did not make an official debut for the first team in the Premier League.

The move is part of a planning process that has already seen the loan of Diego Conde to Betis, and it also points to the departure of Arnau Tenas this summer. With that scenario, signing Gulacsi would allow the yellow team to add experience and competition in a season in which they will once again be fighting for European places.