Following the loss of Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid have been linked with many players as Diego Simeone looks to reinvent his side.
Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez has been linked for a while, however according to recent report, the club are also eyeing up Felipe Anderson as a plan B option.
According to Don Balon, Real Madrid would rather see James Rodriguez move to Italy than sell him to their local rivals. As a result of this, they suggest that Simeone is looking at the Brazilian as a possible alternative.
In our view, it’s unlikely that the Hammers would be willing let him go cheaply however, especially considering the player signed for a club-record fee of £36m last summer according to the BBC.
An impressive debut season with the club should result in West Ham looking to make a significant profit on Anderson if they do let him leave.
The Brazilian scored nine goals and provided four assists in the Premier League last season, as he helped the club achieve a top 10 finish.
Atletico are currently rebuilding their squad, following the departures of Filipe Luis, Rodrigo, Diego Godin, Lucas Hernandez and Griezmann this summer.
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Don Balon’s report also states that Diego Simeone believes he could improve Anderson’s tactical awareness and take his game to a new level.
Given how important Anderson is to West Ham, Hammers’ fans will perhaps take comfort in Marca’s report, which states that Rodriguez may be close to a move to Atletico, something that means they’ll be keeping ahold of the player, for now at least.
The Colombian returned to Real this summer following a two year loan with Bayern Munich. He scored 14 goals in 43 league games in Germany, but clearly didn’t do enough to persuade Bayern to want to keep him.
