Getafe closing in on Carvajal: he's passed the medical, now it's down to LaLiga

It's rare to see a club president talk about transfers with this much candor. Angel Torres, Getafe's president, sat down in front of DAZN's cameras this Tuesday and dropped the line that fans had been waiting weeks to hear: Dani Carvajal has passed the club's medical examination. One final step remains, but the path forward has never looked clearer.

The 34 year old fullback has been without a club since June 30, when his contract with Real Madrid expired after a lifetime spent in white. His name has been floated around since then, but it was Torres himself who set the record straight: the interest is real, and the player has already done the physical groundwork needed to sign.

So what's left? Money, essentially. Or more precisely, fitting the numbers into the books. Getafe's president was blunt about the one remaining obstacle.

We're working on it. The boss was asking me for a winger, we couldn't find one. Let's see if a wingback works for him. All that's left is for LaLiga and me to reach an agreement. He's passed the medical and everythingAngel Torres

The comment also reveals the footballing need behind the move: Jose Bordalas had been asking for reinforcements out wide for some time and hadn't quite found the right fit. Carvajal, with his background on the right flank and his ability to also play as a wingback, looks like the profile the Getafe coach had in mind.

Torres didn't hide his optimism, though he also stopped short of declaring victory too soon.

He'll be joining now. If I sort it out with LaLiga, most likely. The medical went wellAngel Torres

The salary cap is the piece that still doesn't fit. These are the kinds of things that, from the outside, look like simple paperwork, but in Spanish soccer they can stall or sink an entire deal if the club can't square the numbers with LaLiga. For now, Getafe has medical clearance and its president's declared willingness; what remains is settling the financial side to close the loop.

For Carvajal, landing at the Coliseum would carry a double meaning. On one hand, he would keep competing in the top flight of Spanish soccer despite finding himself without a club in the middle of summer. On the other, he wouldn't even have to change cities: he would keep living and playing within the Community of Madrid, no small thing after so many years building his life there.

Now it's a matter of waiting to see how the negotiation with LaLiga plays out. If Torres secures the agreement he's after, Getafe would add to its roster a fullback with a long track record at the top level, right in the position Bordalas had been requesting for months.