Diego Simeone looking to bring Alvaro Negredo to Atletico Madrid as replacement for the Chelsea-bound Diego Costa.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has identified Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo as the ideal replacement for their Chelsea-bound top scorer Diego Costa, according to reports in the Daily Star.
Negredo would represent as close to a like-for-like replacement for Costa as Atletico are likely to be able to get, with his physical presence and explosive finishing recalling the attributes that made the Brazilian-born Spanish international such a reputation for the La Liga champions last season.
Former Sevilla striker Negredo enjoyed an impressive start to life at the City of Manchester stadium, hitting a steady stream of goals during the first half of the season, but this supply dried up for Manuel Pellegrini’s men after Christmas as the burden fell more and more on Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko, with the Bosnian replacing Negredo as Aguero’s primary back-up.
A move to the Spanish capital could interest all parties, then, although City will be keen to recoup the majority of the significant fee that they paid to Atletico’s La Liga rivals for Negredo just twelve months ago.
Negredo’s end-of-season dip in form led to disappointment for the former Real Madrid youth player, with Negredo surprisingly left out of the Spain squad for the World Cup by manager Vicente del Bosque, who favoured Fernandro Torres and Fernando Llorente in attack.