Sevilla Circle Skhiri as Frankfurt Seeks Midfield Exit
Sevilla’s late-summer rebuild is starting to look like a juggling act. They need goals, they need legs in midfield, and they need it all done before La Liga kicks off in just over a week.
Somewhere in the middle of that scramble sits Ellyes Skhiri.
Striker hunt dominates – but midfield plot thickens
In Spain, the word from Marca is clear: an out-and-out striker remains Sevilla’s obsession. Talks continue for Ruben Vargas as the Andalusian club try to put a focal point at the top of their attack before Rayo Vallecano arrive at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in eight days’ time.
Names keep circling for other positions, but the priority is simple: find someone who can finish chances.
Yet while the spotlight shines on the forward line, the real movement could come in midfield.
Skhiri emerges from Frankfurt’s cold
German reports now link Sevilla with Skhiri, the Tunisia international whose situation at Eintracht Frankfurt has turned frosty. His contract runs out at the end of next season, and Frankfurt are already looking for the exit door before he can walk away for free.
Sky Sport Germany report that the club have effectively frozen him out of their plans. The Bundesliga side have reinforced the centre of the pitch with Rafael Onyedika and are now focused on trimming numbers. Skhiri, once central to their structure, suddenly looks expendable.
That is where Sevilla come in.
A double move in midfield
Sevilla are already in talks to bring in Giorgi Kochorashvili to bolster their midfield options. Skhiri is being lined up as a complementary piece to that move rather than the headline act, a player to round out a unit rather than reshape it.
On paper, it makes sense. Skhiri offers work-rate, tactical discipline and experience at the highest level. He played all three group-stage matches for Tunisia at the last World Cup, a reminder that he can handle pressure and tempo when the stakes rise.
For a squad that has too often looked stretched and unbalanced in recent seasons, adding two different midfield profiles in one window would be a bold statement of intent.
Clock ticking in Seville
Time, though, is brutal in August. Sevilla face Bayer Leverkusen tomorrow at 3:30pm in Germany in their final friendly of the summer. Once that is done, they head back to Seville with the league opener looming.
Coach Garcia Plaza knows every day counts. Any new arrivals will have only a handful of sessions to absorb his demands before Rayo Vallecano test them in front of a restless Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
The need for a striker grows with each passing training session. The need for clarity in midfield grows with each report out of Germany.
Sevilla are working on several fronts at once. The question now is simple: can they turn this flurry of negotiations into a squad ready for the first whistle of the new season?
