Atletico Madrid have launched a €35million (£30m / $40m) bid for highly-rated Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo, TEAMtalk can reveal, while Manchester City and Tottenham consider making moves of their own.
The 21-year-old has emerged as a major target for Diego Simeone’s side as they look to add further attacking options, with Atletico now putting serious money on the table to try and get a deal done.
Lille are under no pressure to sell Fernandez-Pardo, however, with the club set to receive more than €100million (£85m / $115m) from Manchester City for midfield starlet Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Lille are determined to give new head coach Davide Ancelotti a squad capable of challenging for honours.
That has left Lille considering Atletico’s proposal rather than immediately accepting it.
Atletico, meanwhile, insist the move is not connected to the future of Julian Alvarez and point to their long-standing desire to add a player capable of operating from the left as well as centrally – qualities Fernandez-Pardo possesses.
We can confirm Fernandez-Pardo is open to the prospect of moving to Madrid, but Atletico face strong competition from England.
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Man City, Tottenham eyeing moves for Fernandez-Pardo
Man City are among those interested and TEAMtalk understands they have done significant work on Fernandez-Pardo. They like what they have seen and are considering whether to make their own move.
City are looking for a new forward with Savinho pushing for a move to Tottenham.
We understand talks between City and Spurs over the Brazilian have been ongoing for weeks, with Savinho increasingly frustrated by the situation.
Tottenham are also growing frustrated by the Savinho situation and in-turn have been assessing options elsewhere and one of those they are looking at is Fernandez-Pardo, with the Belgian now one of the alternative attacking options.
Spurs like the fact Fernandez-Pardo can play centrally as they are also looking for someone who can help bolsyer those options – with that they are also looking at the likes of Villarreal’s Georges Mikautadze and Monaco’s Falorin Balogun.
From a financial perspective, the 21-year-old is particularly attractive to both Premier League sides, with TEAMtalk understanding that a fee below €40million (£34m / $46m) could be enough to convince Lille to sell.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all previously made enquiries about Fernandez-Pardo and have now been informed of Atletico’s offer and the developing situation.
Atletico have made the first major move with their €35million proposal, but with several Premier League heavyweights monitoring the situation and Fernandez-Pardo open to a move, the race is far from over.