Aston Villa and Everton are reportedly ready to offer €30 million for the signing of Atletico Madrid and Spain defender Mario Hermoso this summer.
According to a report from Spanish publication El Gol Digital, the interest in Atletico Madrid defender Mario Hermoso seems to be rising as Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Everton are both preparing an offer for the 26-year-old.
Hermoso came through the youth ranks at Real Madrid and featured quite a fair bit for their Castilla outfit before leaving for Espanyol in the summer of 2017. During his two-year stint with the Catalan club, the centre-back emerged as one of the most promising young defenders in La Liga, prompting Atletico Madrid to sign him in 2019.
Since arriving at the Wanda Metropolitano, Hermoso has seen fairly regular action on the field, racking up 61 appearances for Los Rojiblancos in which he has scored two goals and set up one more. The 26-year-old was a vital part of the team that won the La Liga title last season, with his ability to play at centre-back or left-back making him a valuable asset to manager Diego Simeone.
And, it is these characteristics that have seen Hermoso attract interest from the Premier League. Indeed, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Everton have all been linked with a move for the five-time capped Spanish international. And, as per the aforementioned report, the latter two seem set to step up their interest in the defender.
The interest from Aston Villa does come off as a bit strange considering that they have Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings as their anointed first-choice centre-back pairing with Kortney Hause for backup. In addition, the Midlands outfit also secured the signing of Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Manchester United.
So, the addition of another centre-back, for a fee of around €30 million, does come off as a bit strange. Unlike Villa, Everton could certainly use reinforcements at the back. The Toffees have had issues in defence with Yerry Mina not always performing consistently while Mason Holgate, too, has been on and off.
Furthermore, with Mina being heavily linked with an exit from Goodison Park this summer, it creates an opening for new manager Rafael Benitez to bring in another central defender, making Hermoso a viable transfer target.
The report adds that while Simeone values the 26-year-old, Atletico might be open to letting him go should a substantial offer come in. And, both Villa and Everton are said to be ready to shell out €30 million for the centre-back. It remains to be seen if there is any actual movement on this front in the coming days.
