Levante seal Kone for Europa debut
Levante have procured Sevilla's Arouna Kone on a permanent basis, and he joins four other acquisitions ahead of the start of the club's debut Europa League campaign.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Levante signed a one-year contract with Kone, who led their goalscoring charts with 17 goals in La Liga last term. He had been playing at the Valencia-based club on loan from Sevilla but the expiry of his contract with his parent club allowed him to seal the move on a permanent basis.
According to UEFA.com, the contract also stipulates a 12-month extension should the club want to keep the Ivorian on a longer basis.
The La Liga side, who finished last season in sixth place, will get to play in the UEFA Europa League play-offs, marking their first appearance in European football in the 103 years of their existence. They are seeking to increase the depth of their squad in order to handle the demands of continental football and have also made permanent David Navarro and Keylor Navas' loan stints at the club.
Navarro, 32, is a centre-back while Navas was a goalkeeper plying his trade with Albacete Balompié.
The club have also signed Pedro Ríos from Getafe and Michel from city rivals Valencia.
Levante will find out on August 10 on who they will get to face in their first Europa League game on August 23.
They also play Atletico Madrid five days earlier in their opening fixture of the new La Liga season.