Could Villarreal be the next destination for this former Real Madrid player?

José Callejón’s contract with Napoli expires at the end of this season. It was originally set to expire in June, but he agreed to continue until August in light of the coronavirus and the postponement of Serie A and Champions League action.

Callejón will be available for Napoli’s second leg against Barcelona in the CL Round of 16 on August 8, and any subsequent matches should they progress, and he’s still got three league matches to play as well.

It’s being reported that he will leave on a free and come to.....Villarreal, where he would be reunited with ex-teammate Raúl Albiol. (This article references a report in La Repubblica, which I haven’t been able to read as it’s behind a paywall, but I can confirm it exists.)

Callejón would arrive on a free, and at age 33 you really couldn’t expect anything else. He came up in Real Madrid’s cantera, joined Espanyol for a couple of years and was bought back, and was part of Real Madrid’s 2011-12 La Liga winning side.

He’s been at Napoli since 2013 and has been remarkably durable, playing over 3000 minutes in all competitions every year, and notching 64 Serie A goals in that time.

Would he be a good fit for Villarreal? Well, he’s a good passer and crosser, and takes free kicks well too. He’s mostly been deployed on the right side at Napoli, but has played everywhere from striker to attacking midfielder on either side of the pitch.

His age is a concern, of course, though he’s had seven assists in Serie A this season to go along with four goals. He wouldn’t bring the star power of a David SIlva, but if we can sign him for two years at a reasonable salary, it would be an interesting play.