Atletico Madrid are reportedly the latest club to have joined the list of admirers of Brighton & Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey.
According to the Daily Mail, Atletico Madrid have joined the likes of Bayern Munich and Sevilla in keeping tabs on former Chelsea youngster Tariq Lamptey.
The 20-year-old Lamptey came through the youth ranks at Chelsea and made a breakthrough into the senior team last season. However, after a handful of appearances, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion in January and has been turning heads with his performances ever since.
Indeed, Lamptey has emerged as one of the brightest young full-backs in England, following a fine start to the 2020/21 campaign. So far this term, the 20-year-old has racked up an impressive return of one goal and three assists in seven Premier League outings.
Lamptey’s progress hasn’t gone unnoticed with Bayern Munich showing an interest in the former Chelsea academy man in the recent summer transfer window. While the Bavarians did not sign the Englishman, they are continuing to monitor his progress, along with last season’s UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla.
SCOUT: No #FPL defender has more attacking returns than Tariq Lamptey (one goal, three assists) this season#TOTBHA pic.twitter.com/5rnu0VVk4x
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) November 1, 2020
And, as per the aforementioned report, Atletico Madrid are the latest club to have shown an interest in the one-time capped England U21 international.
The Rojiblancos have another Englishman, Kieran Trippier, as their first-choice right-back at the moment. Sime Vrsaljko is the backup option for Diego Simeone, although the Croatian’s injury record hardly makes him a reliable option. Plus, with Atleti letting go of Santiago Arias this past summer, it makes sense that they would be eyeing reinforcements at right-back.
Lamptey’s rise to prominence in the Premier League over the past couple of months makes him a viable target for Los Colchoneros.
However, as the youngster attracts serious interest from Europe, Brighton are desperate to ensure that he stays put at the Amex Stadium. Lamptey is currently contracted with Brighton till the summer of 2023. And Brighton are hoping to hand the ex-Chelsea ace a new and improved deal in order to stave off interest from the European bigwigs.
Given the stature of clubs that are chasing him, Brighton might find it difficult to hold onto Lamptey, if any of Atletico Madrid, Sevilla or Bayern Munich come calling. It remains to be seen if the youngster is a subject of a transfer bid from these clubs in January or in the next summer window.
