La Liga champions Atletico Madrid are ready to challenge Manchester United for the signing of Nicolas Gaitan from Benfica.
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Manchester United are hardly short of potential attacking targets this summer, but one name that has cropped up repeatedly is that of winger Nicolas Gaitan from Benfica – but La Liga champions Atletico Madrid have now entered the race for the Argentine according to Spanish newspaper Marca.
Marca suggest that Diego Simeone’s team are hoping to tie up a double deal with losing Europa League finalists Benfica for Gaitan and the club’s Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak, potentially a replacement for Thibaut Courtois after the Belgian’s loan spell in the Spanish capital came to an end.
Since he arrived in Lisbon from Boca Juniors in 2010, Gaitan has flourished as one of a number of attacking South American talents to make their first steps in European football for one of the three big Portuguese clubs.
He has been linked with a big-money move to one of the major leagues since his impressive first season in a red shirt, but the noise is now becoming so loud that it seems unlikely that he will stay at the Estadio de Luz for next season.
Atletico are looking to reshape their squad in anticipation of the expected picking off of their finest players by other clubs – with David Villa already having left on a free transfer and Diego Costa having joined Chelsea in a huge deal.