Luciano Vietto has turned down the opportunity of a summer switch to the Barclays Premier League after signing for Atletico Madrid on Monday afternoon.
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The Argentine has chose the option to reunite with Diego Simeone after playing under him at Racing Club in their home country and joins from La Liga rivals Villarreal for a fee in the region of €20million according to Sport.
Villarreal president Fernando Roig confirmed the news to the Spanish publication:
“We’ve closed the sale of Vietto, we have sold him to Atletico Madrid,” Roig revealed.
Vietto, who scored 18 goals in all competitions last season, was attracting interest from Premier League duo Arsenal and Liverpool as both are in the market for a new striker.
The two clubs were reported to have triggered the 21-year-old’s release clause [via Metro Sport], but both Arsene Wenger and Brendan Rodgers have been unsuccessful in their bid to lure the Argentine to England.
The Reds boss is now likely to turn his attentions elsewhere and was linked with two more South American strikers over the weekend.
Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca and Venezuela attacker Salomon Rondon are reportedly being considered as alternatives to Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke [via Liverpool Echo].