Long-time Man Utd and Liverpool target breaks silence on transfer 'temptations'
Tom Weber
- 14 Oct 2023 09:50 BST
- 3 min read
Atletico Madrid star Marcos Llorente has opened up about transfer 'temptations' after being linked with a move to England and Saudi Arabia in the summer.
The former Real Madrid man, who crossed the city divide and now suits up for rivals Atleti, has been eyed by some big European clubs for a while. Linked in recent months with Liverpool and Man Utd, there were claims that head coach Diego Simeone was not fully convinced by the Spaniard despite his quality and versatility.
Moreover, with Atletico's financial situation being less than satisfactory for some years now, it was claimed that they could seek to cash in on Llorente who could have flushed as much as €60 million into their coffers. Saudi clubs, too, were credited with an interest during their record-breaking transfer window.
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The 28-year-old, however, remained and continues to be a regular in Simeone's side.
What did Llorente say?
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, the Real Madrid youth product revealed that it would take an incredible offer - a "bomba" proposal - to lure him away from Spain's capital.
Asked about the summer's "Arabian temptation," Llorente said: "Temptations come from everywhere, that's football. But when you are comfortable in a club, you are happy and you are enjoying football…The offer from elsewhere has to be incredible for you to leave here."
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Despite claims about Simeone being open to moving him on, it seems the two have a good relationship. "Well, he [the coach] is very important. He was the one who bet on me to play higher up."
"He saw me, sat me down in his office and told me that he sees me playing a little higher up, reaching the penalty area a little more...I played several games and everything went well. I think it is the position in which I can help the team the most and I feel most comfortable."
The midfielder has scored two goals in eight LaLiga games so far.
