Nathan Saliba has arrived in La Liga.
Villarreal confirmed the signing of the Canada midfielder from Anderlecht on Tuesday. The Yellow Submarine will officially unveil the Longueuil, Que. native on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old midfielder becomes the third Canadian player on the squad, joining Brampton, Ont. winger Tajon Buchanan and forward Tani Oluwaseyi of Mississauga, Ont.
While the terms of the transfer were undisclosed, Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday that the fee was believed to be in the neighbourhood of €15 million.
A product of the CF Montreal academy, Saliba made his senior debut in 2023. He made 68 appearances across three seasons for the club, scoring twice. He joined Anderlecht ahead of last season.
Saliba appeared in 34 Belgian Pro League matches last season and in 45 games across all competitions. Thus far this season, Saliba had made five appearances for Anderlecht, including three in Europa League qualifiers. His match time totaled 253 minutes.
Internationally, Saliba made his senior debut for Canada in 2024. He has three goals in 17 appearances. He played in three games at this summer’s World Cup, scoring in Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar.
After a pair of draws to open their season, Villarreal returns to action on Friday away to Alaves.
