Spanish Primera Liga side Valencia are close to securing a transfer-deal to sign Chelsea and Spain left-back Asier del Horno, the Valencia president announced on Monday.

“Things are at an advanced stage," Valencia president Juan Bautista Soler said on the official Valencia website. “We are waiting for Chelsea to send us some documentation and to finalise an agreement with the player.

“We are trying to make sure he will become a Valencia fullback but we have other options as a back-up. He is a player that meets with the approval of the coach and the sporting director.

“If we can sign him it will be fantastic.”

The Basque defender joined Chelsea on a three-year contract from Athletic Bilbao for £8million (€12 million) last June, but had a hard time adapting to the English game and only really came to form towards the end of last season, winning his first championship medal with The Blues.

The 25-year-old was selected as part of the Spain World Cup squad for the Finals in Germany, but had to pull-out of the squad at the last minute after suffering a recurrence of an of an ankle injury and was replaced by Atlético Madrid’s Mariano Pernia.

Soler also confirmed reports that Valencia are in the first stages of trying to sign Manchester United and Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo who, despite a statement from Manchester United saying that Ronaldo is staying at Old Trafford, has been heavily linked with a move to Spain in recent weeks.

“It's a utopia,” said Soler. “A dream and a challenge to try and bring one of the pearls of world football to Valencia but we are making the first moves.

“It will be very difficult, though,” finished Soler.

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