Vitolo will not feature against Atletico Madrid, the club he joins in January and who have loaned him to Las Palmas, in order to avoid what Las Palmas described as a potentially “uncomfortable situation.”
Last month, Vitolo triggered his €37.5 million release clause at Sevilla and agreed a five-year contract with Atletico.
But he cannot play for them until January because of an ongoing transfer ban and joined Las Palmas on loan for the first half of the season.
Las Palmas president Miguel Angel Ramirez said the club did not have an agreement that prohibits Vitolo from playing against Atletico on Saturday.
He told the club’s official website: “It’s a Las Palmas issue. If Las Palmas wanted to play Vitolo on Saturday, we could.
“This player will sign a contract with Atletico Madrid in January and he is a player that in a few months’ time will be with those teammates.
“I don’t want the player to have to go through an uncomfortable situation. He will do what we tell him because he is a professional.
“We believe we shouldn’t get into it and hence he will not play against Atletico, but not because there is an agreement with anyone. It’s the club’s decision.”
However, Ramirez revealed that Vitolo would play against Sevilla when Las Palmas travel to the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium next month.
Vitolo’s signing for Atletico, two days after Sevilla president Jose Castro announced that the winger had agreed a new contract, caused controversy.
Sevilla said they would take legal action against the player, Atletico and Las Palmas over his departure.
“It’s not the same situation as he will not play for Sevilla this season at the Sanchez Pizjuan but he will play for Atletico,” Ramirez said.
“I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two. We have 100 percent of the sporting rights of the player at this time, and if we decide something it’s because we believe it’s the best for all parties.
“Vitolo is a professional, and when he played for Sevilla he would feature against Las Palmas. Now that he is playing for Las Palmas, when he goes to Seville he will play against Sevilla.”
Adriana Garcia is a Valencia-based football writer who covers La Liga for ESPN FC.