Liverpool target Luciano Vietto: Villarreal president Fernando Riog reveals €20m release clause

Villarreal striker Luciano Vietto has a release clause of €20m (£14.5m, $22.2m), the club's president has revealed amid mounting speculation linking the player with moves to Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Vietto, 21, has been one of La Liga's breakout stars this season following his summer 2014 move from Racing Club in Argentina.

He has struck 11 league goals in his first seven months in Spanish football, adding another seven in Villarreal's Europa League campaign, and his rapid rise has caught the attention of a number of potential suitors, according to his agent Jorge Cysterpiller.

But Villarreal president Fernando Riog is hopeful the player will honour his contact at the Estadio El Madrigal, despite his relatively low release clause.

Speaking to Cadena Ser, Riog said: "Vietto is a Villarreal player for the next four years. He has a buyout clause of around €20m".

Liverpool are unlikely to have little problem in activating Vietto's release clause should they pursue a move in the summer transfer window. But the interest of Champions League holders Real Madrid and two unnamed German sides suggest any attempt to sign the striker is unlikely to be easy.

"We know that a lot of big clubs are watching Luciano Vietto," his agent Jorge Cysterpiller was recently quoted as saying by Spanish daily AS.

"There is a lot of competition for him. He could sign for Liverpool, we know that he is admired by the Reds, as well as Real Madrid and two Bundesliga clubs. I think he could leave Villarreal in the summer."

Amid the growing talk surrounding his long-term club future, Vietto was recently quoted discussing his options and insisted he would only consider a move that satisfied both his and Villarreal's demands.

"If any big clubs come along with a genuine offer, we will see what emerges," Vietto reportedly told AS. "But it would have to be an offer that would suit everyone concerned, then we could consider what to do. It would have to be a good proposal for me and for the club."