Rubin Rejects Valencia’s Noboa Offer

As expected, Christian Noboa is starting to garner attention from Spain.

Word out of Ecuador is that Valencia CF (Spain) has made an offer to Rubin Kazan for the services of midfielder Christian Noboa.

Noboa has become a key to Rubin Kazan’s side, but his profile has increased dramatically over the last year as he has also become a regular for the Ecuadorian national team.

Becoming a true “box-to-box” force in midfield, Noboa would fit perfectly into a Valencia side that not only recently acquired former Rubin teammate Alejandro Domínguez but is also could use an option at the midfield level in front of the defensive midfield while young Argentine Éver Banega continues developing.

Having identified Noboa as a possible option, Valencia has tabled a S5 million U.S. offer to Rubin, an offer that was flatly refused.  Rubin is said to value their Ecuadorian at closer to $12 million.

That evaluation may also be low for a the 24-year-old who will become more vital to Rubin as Sergei Semak continues to age.  Thus, this report may be more rumor than reality.

It should not surprise, however, that a player that profiles like Noboa is getting attention from Spain, where has game would fit perfectly.  For Kazan, however, Noboa has become more critical, with his continued development as an attacking threat becoming more needed by Gurban Buriyew.

Though there would be more sentimental value attached to their other central midfielder, it would almost make more sense for Rubin to sell Semak.