Although Malaga currently sit in seventh in the La Liga table, they are still six points behind Villarreal, who occupy the last
European qualification spot.
The young Croatian international has long been considered a hot prospect and has become a key player at the San Siro but having seen his side finish the season in eighth spot, and with
no European qualification spot to speak of, the former Dinamo Zagreb may be open to a fresh challenge.
Spain have typically performed very well in European competitions in the past 5 years and as a result, La Liga has four
European qualification spots for the top four placed sides in the division.
Not exact matches
West Ham will secure a
spot in the first
qualification round and will begin their unexpected
European campaign in July, according to L'Equipe.
If Bradford City overcome Premier League Swansea City at Wembley and subsequently turn down the
European qualification, the place will automatically go back to the Premier League meaning the team finishing eighth could earned a Europe League
spot.
Also, there is an extra fourth
qualification spot for the Europa League available via the Fair Play initiative (if the Premier League ends up in the top three of the Fair Play rankings in Europe, the highest ranked team that has not qualified for
European football will automatically qualify for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round).
It was a style that helped Athletic play offensively and remain highly competitive, constantly fighting for
qualification spots in
European competitions.