Manchester United table €80 million offer for Atletico Madrid star Marcos Llorente as possible summer reinforcement.

According to a report published by AS, Manchester United are interested in signing in-form Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente and have offered a humongous €80 million offer for him as the summer transfer window edges near. Llorente, though, has no plans to move away from the Spanish capital.

Llorente emerged as a promising defensive midfield prospect for Real Madrid in 2017 following an impressive loan spell with Deportivo Alaves. The 2018/19 campaign was projected to be his breakthrough into the senior team. How could it not be after his exciting performances throughout the season, fighting for a place against Casemiro.

It was not to be, though, as the Spaniard was offloaded to rivals Atletico for €30 million – a sum which Madrid could not pass up on.

After failing to breakthrough the Atleti team in his natural role of as the anchor, Diego Simeone started to deploy the 26-year-old as an advanced midfielder, either on the wing or as a no. 10 with a natural striker, and it worked wonders, with the game against Liverpool at Anfield standing as the prime example.

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN - OCTOBER 06: Marcos Llorente of Real Madrid CF looks on during the La Liga match between Deportivo Alaves and Real Madrid CF at Estadio de Mendizorroza on October 6, 2018 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
In demand. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Despite being knocked out of the Champions League, Diego Simeone’s men are leading the charge for the La Liga title, sitting four points clear off Barcelona and Llorente is one of the reasons why.

With eight assists to his name this season, he is the joint-chart leader in La Liga alongside Lionel Messi, Toni Kroos, and Iago Aspas. In addition to that, the former Real Madrid man has also racked up nine assists in 28 games – participating in every game for the Los Colchoneros. 

Manchester United are sailboating to a possible runners-up finish in the Premier League but are targeting Llorente as a reinforcement in the summer. Playing in a 4-2-3-1, the Spanish international does fit into the lineup on the right-wing but lacks the burst of pace that Ole Gunner Solsjkaer prefers in his counter-attacking setup.

He can be played as part of the double pivot and matches Paul Pogba’s profile to some extent with a knack for carrying the ball over long distances and popping up in and near the box to score goals. Llorente also adds defensive depth and excellent anticipation off the ball, which Pogba and Fred lack.

The report states that Llorente does not prefer leaving Spain right now, but United’s tabled €80 million has forced Atletico Madrid to study the offer before coming to a conclusion. While still in the initial stages, it will be interesting how this transfer rumour rolls on in the future.

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