Wednesday’s edition of Marca reports Aston Villa and Villarreal both made failed attempts to sign an Atlético Madrid player during the January window.
The man in question is Rodrigo Riquelme, and he could now be dangled in front of Tottenham Hotspur as part payment for Cristian Romero.
Riquelme, a 25-year-old midfielder, has played 26 times for Atlético Madrid so far this season. However, the majority of those appearances have been brief and he’s picked up less than 1000 minutes in total.
Villarreal wanted to take him on loan, with the suggestion Aston Villa wanted a permanent transfer. Atlético Madrid refused both, but are now more open to an exit, and specifically using Riquelme in a deal to bring someone else in.
Tottenham’s Romero has been the subject of strong links to the Spanish club over the past couple of weeks or so, although Atlético Madrid would want to pay less than Spurs would ask for.
It’s believed Riquelme could be a ‘great temptation tool’ in negotiations with the Premier League club.
There’s no indication of whether Aston Villa will make another attempt.
