Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are reportedly set to lock horns in pursuit of 23-year-old Spanish midfielder Gonzalo Villar this summer.
As reported by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Gonzalo Villar is facing an uncertain future at AS Roma heading into the summer transfer window. Newly-appointed manager Jose Mourinho will take a final call on the 23-year-old Spanish midfielder’s future, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid hot on his trails.
Gonzalo Villar is coming off his first full season with AS Roma, having joined them from Elche in January 2020. Up until that point, the player had only ever played for two clubs all his life – Elche and Valencia – but had settled down superbly in Italy, seeing as he missed just three games for the Giallorossi all season, when fit and available.
Playing primarily as a holding midfielder, the 23-year-old made 47 appearances in all competitions for Roma and even chipped in with an assist. However, heading into the summer transfer window, there are question marks surrounding the future of the Spanish midfielder. Villar, though, has no shortage of suitors, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid interesting in signing him.
Barcelona appeared to be set to bolster their midfield this summer by signing Georginio Wijnaldum on a Bosman transfer, with reports even suggesting that they had reached an agreement for the move to see the light of the day. However, at the eleventh hour, Paris Saint-Germain have swooped in and now look set to land the Dutch international.
With Sergio Busquets approaching the twilight of his career and Miralem Pjanic facing an uncertain future at Camp Nou, Barcelona do need to sign a midfielder this summer, making Villar a viable target. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, need to strengthen their squad to remain perched atop La Liga.
The Colchoneros are set to lose the services of Saul Niguez, who has coincidentally also been linked with Barcelona. As things stand, though, the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea are keen on securing the services of the Spanish midfielder, thereby necessitating the need for a replacement.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, though, must now wait with bated breath to see what the future holds for Villar, with Mourinho taking a final call on his future. For now, the two La Liga giants seem to be ready to wage battle for the services of the 23-year-old this summer.