Atletico Madrid ready to swoop for Premier League star

Robin Bairner
Robin Bairner
  • 4 Mar 2022 19:08 GMT
  • 5 min read
Diego Simeone has signed a new Atletico Madrid contract until 2024
© ProShots

Atletico Madrid’s transfer plans for the summer are starting to come together, with a Premier League star in their sights.

Diego Simeone’s side have blown hot and cold in what has been a frustrating season to date. They lie fifth in La Liga and face a scrap to finish in the Champions League spots, while they are 1-1 with Manchester United after the first leg of their last-16 tie.

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During the January transfer window, they saw starting right-back Kieran Trippier complete a switch back to the Premier League, with Newcastle signing the England star.

Atleti want Cash in

Now they are on the hunt to replace him and are looking elsewhere in England’s north.

Their sights have fallen upon Aston Villa’s Poland international defender Matty Cash, according to the Daily Mail.

Cash has been with the Villa Park side since joining from Nottingham Forest in September 2020 for £14 million.

If he is to be sold, Villa want a significantly higher price for the player, who has featured on 49 occasions for them.

The 24-year-old has been one of the leading full-backs in the Premier League this season and could jump at the chance to make the switch to a Champions League club.

Atleti already boosted the right-back area in the last hours of the January transfer market by signing Daniel Wass from Valencia, but they are seeking to add more competition to the post. Naturally, the deal done a matter of weeks ago was hurried through and by planning for the summer they are able to consider the type of player they want more carefully.

Cash could be seen as an attractive player for Simeone because he is positionally very strong and could therefore fit into the type of organised defensive structure that has characterised the Argentine’s decade-long reign at Atletico Madrid.

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