La Liga champions Atletico Madrid are reportedly keen on signing Spanish defender Alvaro Odriozola from Real Madrid in the summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Alvaro Odriozola is the subject of interest from Atletico Madrid over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The reigning La Liga champions have been impressed by the Spanish defender’s performances at Fiorentina, where he is currently on loan from Real Madrid.
Alvaro Odriozola joined Real Madrid from Real Sociedad in July 2018 but has since struggled to establish a foothold in the first-team setup at the Santiago Bernabeu. The presence of Dani Carvajal in the squad has hindered him constantly, and a short-term loan move to Bayern Munich did not work out either.
With his career at Real Madrid headed nowhere, Los Blancos sent the 25-year-old out to Fiorentina last summer, and the loan move has worked out well. Odriozola has turned out 17 times for La Viola thus far this season, chipping in with one goal and one assist in the process. The player’s exploits at the Serie A club have not gone unnoticed, with Atletico Madrid keen on signing him.
The defending La Liga champions sold Kieran Trippier to Newcastle United two weeks ago, and the Englishman’s departure has left Diego Simeone short of quality right-backs in his squad. Sime Vrsaljko is the only natural right-sided full-back at the Atletico Madrid manager’s disposal.
But Simeone does not fancy the Croat much, with Marcos Llorente often being deployed as a makeshift right-back ahead of him. Vrsaljko is thus likely to be sold by Los Rojiblancos at the earliest opportunity, making the addition of a right-back imperative for Atletico Madrid.
To that end, several right-backs have recently been linked with Atletico Madrid, including Benjamin Pavard, also a target for Real Madrid. And Odriozola is also a viable target for the Colchoneros, although they are targetting a summer move for the Real Madrid loanee.
With Daniel Wass their priority target for the ongoing transfer window, Odriozola will essentially be replacing Vrsaljko if signed. But with Fiorentina keen on signing him again in the summer and AS Roma also hot on his trail, Atletico Madrid might need to move quickly to prise the 25-year-old away from Real Madrid in the summer.