A pre-contract, as well as being something that's used for players nearing the end of their contract, is also what would be used if a deal was brokered between the two clubs now. It's only referred to as a pre-contract as the deal won't go through until the start of the transfer window, which would presumably also be the start date of the contract.
If this is true then I'll be very disappointed TBH, Xabi has had a bad season but I still think he's a hell of a player, and the most intelligent player we have in our squad. Who knows though, at the end of the day if we get 20 million for him (not unrealistic given the habit Real have of paying over the odds) and it turns out this bad season was the start of a serious loss of form then we will all be praising Rafa's judgement for sure.
Logged