Chelsea have offered €40 million for Marcos Llorente, but Atletico Madrid are uninterested in their proposal and have pointed towards his release clause.
According to AS, as relayed by Sport Witness, Chelsea have made an offer worth €40 million, which Atletico Madrid have rejected. The Rojiblancos remain uninterested in parting ways with the versatile Spaniard and pointed towards his €120 million release clause.
After a slow start, Chelsea are setting the tone in the current transfer window, as they are the biggest spenders in Europe so far. Despite early setbacks in bringing in preferred targets, Thomas Tuchel and new owner Todd Boehly have made amends by bringing in top-rated stars.
Chelsea are set to continue their splurge and could spend upwards of £300 million by the end of the window. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be the next player to arrive from Barcelona. The former Arsenal captain could join Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly as senior recruits, while the Blues have also signed youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina.
Once the striker’s signing is wrapped up, Chelsea could focus their attention on another defender and a new midfielder. Wesley Fofana is the preferred target, as the Blues are reportedly prepared to pay a world record fee for the Leicester City centre-back.
Chelsea also want a top-rated midfielder to arrive and shore up their options in the centre of the park. Having lost N’Golo Kante to a hamstring injury, the squad is stretched thin in the midfield department, especially with Mateo Kovacic also sidelined. Frenkie de Jong is their preferred target, but Chelsea may consider alternatives given the complications around the Dutchman’s transfer.
Hence, they made a move for Marcos Llorente and submitted a €40 million bid for the Atletico Madrid star. The Spanish side, though, were barely interested in the offer and rejected it swiftly. Diego Simeone considers the Spain international an essential part of his side and does not want him to leave.
The report suggests that Atletico then pointed Chelsea towards the €120 million release clause in the player’s contract. The 27-year-old has a deal with the club until 2027, which puts the Rojiblancos in a comfortable position.
Atletico Madrid, in the past, have been adamant when it comes to player values. They had refused to negotiate with Arsenal for Thomas Partey in the summer of 2020, which forced the Gunners to pay the Ghanaian’s entire release clause.
Atletico could do something similar with Chelsea, as they do not want to lose Llorente. The Spanish international can play in midfield and at right-back. His versatility is worth far more for Simeone than any possible bid from Chelsea, and they are unlikely to accept any offer lower than his release clause amount.
