Carlos Tevez, Luciano Vietto Transfers Loom for Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone believes Juventus striker Carlos Tevez would be an "ideal reinforcement" for his side.
The Argentinian coach also confirmed the acquisition of Villarreal's exciting young striker Luciano Vietto is "close."
Simeone spoke to Spanish publication AS (h/t Sky Sports) about Tevez: "One always gets excited if you have players like Tevez. More than the goals he can score per season, he has football running through his veins. It would be an ideal reinforcement considering the way we experience football at Atletico Madrid."
He also confirmed "Vietto is one of our aims" and that the club "are close to signing him." Simeone continued by saying, "I hope we can have him with us next season because he is a player that has extraordinary characteristics."
The manager's comments are offset by reports Mario Mandzukic has been "offered" to Manchester United, per Simon Jones of the MailOnline. Jones acknowledges the Croatian's "fall-outs with coaching staff" at the Vicente Calderon. Dan King of the Sun also reports United are "closing in on" Mandzukic's signature.
Nick Sutton of BBC Radio 4 tweeted the Sun's headline news:
Tevez would be a perfect replacement for Mandzukic. The former Manchester City striker's game is built around his natural work rate and ability to explode into life. His willingness to defend from the front would fit in with Simeone's battling style, which always sees Atletico well drilled and ready to fight, particularly against the toughest sides.
The Rojiblancos are used to having a talisman up top, having enjoyed the likes of Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa ripping through defences in recent years. Mandzukic scored a useful 12 goals in 1,945 minutes during his debut La Liga season, but he'd become surplus to requirements if Tevez arrives.
Vietto netted the same amount in 1,895 minutes worth of domestic football for Villarreal last campaign, as recorded by WhoScored.com. His craftiness and adept finishing ability could provide a prosperous partnership alongside his countryman Tevez. Vietto makes intelligent runs and loves to bring his team-mates into play.
Placing him in a transitional, free-roaming front three with Tevez and Antoine Griezmann could be revolutionary for Atletico. Simeone will be intent on retaining the side's doggedness no matter who joins the club during the summer.
Having won La Liga in 2014, Atletico finished 16 points behind champions Barcelona in this year's table. Neighbours Real Madrid were also 14 clear of their city rivals in second, underlining just how difficult it is for Simeone's men to compete with the Spanish juggernauts.
Outgoings are inevitable at the club, but signing Tevez and Vietto would be an exciting step in the right direction.
Mandzukic has done what he needed to do in that the club weren't crippled by the loss of Costa. But now, it's time for Atletico to significantly progress and compete for silverware on the domestic front again.
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