Real Betis coach Hector Cuper admits he wants to sign Villarreal midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme in January.

Cuper revealed on local radio that he's spoken with Betis supremo Manuel Ruiz de Lopera about signing the frozen-out Argentina international.

The stumbling block will be Riquelme's big wages, but Cuper hopes that Lopera "will have a chat" with Villarreal president Fernando Roig about splitting the player's wages so he can make the move to Seville.