Liverpool have been dealt a huge blow in the hunt for Atletico Madrid right-back Sime Vrsaljko with the La Liga club insisting he will not be moving in the January transfer window. Jurgen Klopp is keen on adding another full-back and has set his sights on Vrsaljko, who can play on both the flanks.
The 25-year-old full-back is a regular Croatian international but has struggled to get into Diego Simeone’s Atletico side, making just 4 league appearances and 20 in total since signing a five-year deal with the Los Rojiblancos in 2016.
Recently, Atletico boss Diego Simeone suggested he would be willing to sell the full-back, for the right price – around £22m and suggested that the Croat has performed well whenever he’s been called upon in a campaign otherwise interrupted by injury.
As quoted by the Mirror, Atletico boss Simeone said:
“Sime is a big player and all big players have a value. We are happy when other clubs look at our players, this is normal and it is positive for us.
“The truth is Sime has been injured and when he has played for us he has done very well, but it is a fact that Juanfran has done superbly also.”
While Vrsaljko can play on the left, he is a naturally right-footed player. When the squad is healthy, Liverpool can boast of having the likes of Nathaniel Clyne and two of the emerging talents in English football in that position – Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
In the absence of Clyne, who is yet to play this season and is out until February after undergoing a surgery on his back, Gomez and Alexander-Arnold have performed exceedingly well as a right-back.
According to Corriere dello Sport, the Reds have already been in touch with Atletico’s director of football Andrea Berta about the 25-year-old. The report says Serie A club Napoli are also interested in the Croatia international.
However, Klopp’s hopes of adding Vrsaljko have now been dashed as the Mirror quoted Atletico President Cerezo as saying he was confident Vrsaljko would stay with them in January and that conversations with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis were merely about cinema.
“Vrsaljko is an Atletico Madrid player and I expect him to remain an Atletico Madrid player in 2018 too,” Cerezo revealed on Radio CRC, as quoted by Mirror.
“We have always had a good rapport with all clubs, but one mustn’t misunderstand a good rapport for being the desire to negotiate for a player. I speak to De Laurentiis about cinema!”
Vrsaljko is a versatile talent but has only played 477 minutes for Atletico this season and needs regular first-team football to guarantee his place in Croatia’s final squad for the World Cup.
Should Klopp go for the Croatian star or keep faith in Gomez and Alexander-Arnold? What do you think?
https://youtu.be/U5FoIv-IYCI
