LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Brighton and Hove Albion have signed Ecuador international left-back Pervis Estupinan from Villarreal for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club confirmed on Wednesday.
Estupinan has been signed as a replacement for Marc Cucurella, who moved to Chelsea two weeks ago, and although the fee has not been made public, it is unlikely to be lower than the 15 million euros Villarreal paid Watford for the defender two years ago.
The 24-year-old, who has played 26 times for his country, has agreed a five-year contract until June 2027.
Estupinan began his career in his homeland with LDU Quito before moving to Watford in 2016. However, he never played for the English club, spending the next four years on loan in Spain, where he played for Granada, Almeria, Mallorca and Osasuna, before joining Villarreal permanently in 2020.
He made 74 appearances for Villarreal in two years, including ten in last season's Champions League campaign, which saw his side reach the semifinals of the competition.
Villarreal were willing to cash in on the defender as they have plenty of cover at left-back in the shape of Alfonso Pedraza and Alberto Moreno.
According to reports in Spain, Unai Emery's side have also had interest in right-back Juan Foyth from FC Barcelona, but are unwilling to negotiate the sale of the former Tottenham player. ■
