Zaragoza to sign Ayala from Villarreal The 34-year-old, who is competing with Argentina at the Copa America, was set to join Villarreal when his contract with Valencia ended in June, having committed himself to a three-year contract with them in February. Zaragoza said on their Web site (www.realzaragoza.com) that Ayala would rescind his contract with Villarreal in the next few days and sign a three-year contract with Victor Fernandez's side. They have moved swiftly to fill the space left by the sale of Ayala's partner in the centre of the Argentine defence, Gabriel Milito, to Barcelona for a fee of up 20.5 million euros last week. Zaragoza finished sixth in the Primera Liga last season to earn a place in the UEFA Cup. They also secured the services of Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira on loan from AC Milan on Saturday. Ayala began his career with Argentine side Ferro Carril Oeste, before joining River Plate in 1993. His performance for the Argentine giants earned him a transfer to Italian side Napoli in 1995 where he remained for three seasons before signing for AC Milan. Ayala joined Valencia in 2000 from AC Milan and was their most influential player in the back four. He played a vital role in helping the club to reach the Champions League final in 2001, win the Spanish league title in 2002 and win the league and UEFA Cup in 2004. He captains Argentina in the Copa America final against Brazil on Sunday when the country's most capped player will make his 115th appearance. |