SHARE

 

Liverpool and Manchester United are both said to be interested in signing Atletico Madrid defender José Gimenez.

According to Spanish outlet AS, both clubs have made ‘frequent contacts’ to show the player’s representatives their will to have him, and José Mourinho’s side would be the one winning the race for now.

It’s suggested Gimenez is likely to leave Atletico soon as he’s not getting the playing time he wants. Starting only 7 La Liga games this season so far, interest from elsewhere is only likely to make the player’s feet itchier.

Not playing games at club level makes things more complicated for Gimenez’s Uruguay career too, and with a World Cup appearing on the horizon those concerns are more pressing.

His departure wouldn’t be stopped by Atletico, although the move obviously wouldn’t be cheap. AS claim the player has a €45m release clause, giving them a good basis to negotiate. Not in the Spanish club’s favour is that Gimenez’s current contract with Atletico only runs until next year.

Manchester United and Liverpool have already been linked to a raft of players ahead of the summer transfer, and Gimenez would probably be looking for Champions League football. Klopp and Mourinho are currently in a tussle for that all important fourth, and qualifying or not will have a direct impact upon the summer recruitment.