Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has rubbished transfer talks regarding defender Diego Godin who has been linked with a move to Manchester United.
Godin has been excellent in the last few seasons and his stock seems to have risen so much that even a €20m bid will not be enough to sign him according to Simeone who said, “Twenty? For Godin? It must be a mistake.”
The Uruguayan international is said to have a £28.5m release clause in his contract which runs till 2018, but reports have emerged that he could cost less than that fee. Atletico have lost a host of star players who departed the club this summer, so it’s highly unlikely that they will sell any more players, especially when it’s someone like Godin who has be the spine of the team in their success story during the last few years.
Atleti sold the likes of Diego Costa, Filipe Luis, David Villa and Diego in the last transfer window for hefty fees and don’t find themselves in a situation where they have to sell. On the other hand, Manchester United strengthened their defense as they signed Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Daley Blind, but injuries coupled with poor form has led to weak defensive displays despite the side occupying a top four spot.
Cheaper alternative could be the solution
Manager Louis Van Gaal will mostly likely strengthen in January in the defensive areas if the injury list continues to be long. In the last few months, the likes of Mats Hummels, Gerard Pique and Godin have been linked with United, but it remains to be seen if they’ll spend huge money in the transfer window. Van Gaal does have the option of signing Ron Vlaar if the asking price of the targets increase in January as he spent close to £150m in the last window.