Atletico Madrid were handed a boost in their pursuit of Mauro Icardi on Sunday, but they will reportedly have to spend big to acquire him this summer.
The Inter star’s wife and agent, Wanda Nara, took to Twitter over the weekend to reveal that a move is likely this summer with ‘economical reasons’ behind their desire to put him up for sale.
“#Calciomercato,” read her first message. “Icardi would like to stay at Inter, but the club wants to sell and ask for more than €50m,” the second stated. The messages were later deleted but it looks as though the details have already been leaked as to what the Nerazzurri are looking for.
According to AS, despite Icardi trying to smooth the situation over, there is still discord between the Argentine forward and the Serie A giants over a new contract.
In turn, that is where Atleti are ready to swoop in as they continue to monitor the situation with a view of taking full advantage of any breakdown in talks.
The 23-year-old has now become the club’s priority, with Diego Simeone targeting a new striker to boost their chances of winning silverware next season.
AS go on to add that a move for Icardi would in turn end talk of a return to the Spanish outfit for Chelsea striker Diego Costa. Instead, the former Atleti star will report for pre-season training with the Premier League side this week and remain in England.
Ultimately, this now comes down to whether or not Atleti are able to meet Inter’s demands, and if so, they will then be able to press ahead on personal terms.
Icardi scored 16 goals and provided four assists in 34 appearances in all competitions last season, but has proved himself to be a top striker in the last three years which in turn has resulted in Simeone being so keen on signing him.