Chelsea set to battle Atletico Madrid as both clubs chase £17m-rated sensational midfielder
- Gabriel Menino has been on the radar of Spanish club Atletico Madrid for some time now
- Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are also on the trail of the 20-year-old midfielder at Palmeiras
- Menino earlier said he thinks his football style fits Atletico, Barcelona, Liverpool and Man City
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Chelsea are reportedly interested in Palmeiras midfielder Gabriel Menino who is the major summer transfer target for Spanish club Atletico Madrid.
According to Brazilian outlet UOL via SunSport, the 20-year-old is already on the radar of Atletico, but the Blues are now desperate to sign the player.
Chelsea progressed to the quarterfinals of this season's Champions League following their 3-0 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid.
A goal each from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson were all the Blues needed in the second-leg of their last-16 encounter at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, March 17.
The west Londoners went into the return leg with a 1-0 advantage salvaged in the reverse tie played in Romania.
Atletico who will now set sights on the La Liga title as their lead on top of the standings has also dropped to four points.
Simeone says it is now time for the team to 'balance their accounts' in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
They are targeting Menino who is said to have been valued at between £13-£18million by the LaLiga leaders.
Source: Getty Images
He said to Portuguese outlet A Bola:
"I think my football today fits in Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, maybe even Manchester City.
"They are all teams with very strong players, with a quick touch of the ball, they like to attack and defend in a block."
Menino is contracted until December 2024 and has a release clause of around £51.4m.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo who is being rumoured to leave the Italian club is more likely to return to Manchester United instead of Real Madrid according to reports.
Los Blancos are more interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe to lead their attack.
Ronaldo was heavily criticised following Juve’s Champions League early exit; with Italian media claiming the 36-year-old betrayed his teammates.
Confusion set in as regards his future as some believe he may be kicked out of the Turin club despite having one more year on his contract.
Babajide is a digital publishing expert, an avid sports content thinker, researcher and writer. He is a graduate of Guidance and Counselling, having bagged his B.SC (ED) from the Ekiti State University. He can be reached on Twitter @JideOrevba
Source: Legit.ng
