Valencia Basket loses a key target in the transfer market Valencia Basket has seen its plans to sign Mikael Jantunen frustrated by the intervention of Real Madrid in the negotiations. The 26-year-old, 2.04m Finnish player was on Valencia's radar since the departure of Pradilla to the Madrid-based club, but now the white team is leading the race for his signature. Jaume Ponsarnau's team is looking to strengthen its frontcourt after the departures of Pradilla, Braxton Key and Matt Costello, but competition in the market is fierce. Valencia Basket has already signed TJ Shorts, Corbalán, Osetkowski and Saint-Supéry, but needs more reinforcements to face the upcoming season. ## What happened with the negotiations? According to Eurohoops, Real Madrid has very advanced talks with Jantunen, making the Madrid club the favorite to sign him. The Finnish international can play as both a forward and a power forward and has EuroLeague experience after playing for Paris Basketball and Fenerbahçe. Trained at the University of Utah, Jantunen later played for European teams like Ostende and Treviso before making the leap to the top continental competition. His arrival at Real Madrid would be to fill the spot left by Trey Lyles, who moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA. ## Why is this important for Valencia Basket? Losing Jantunen is a hard blow for Valencia Basket, which had already lost Salva Camps in the coaching staff. The orange team urgently needs reinforcements in the frontcourt to compensate for the losses after winning the ACB League. The team's last result, a 90-105 loss to Real Madrid on May 22, 2026, highlights the need to improve the roster. Additionally, their recent record of 3 wins and 2 losses in the last five games shows the team's inconsistency. ## What's next for Valencia Basket? Valencia Basket will have to look for alternatives in the market to strengthen its frontcourt. Jaume Ponsarnau and his technical team will need to act quickly to prevent the team's rebuild from becoming a walk in the park. Meanwhile, Mikael Jantunen is shaping up as a key reinforcement for Pedro Martínez and Real Madrid, who aim to maintain their dominance in the ACB and the EuroLeague.
