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What's the rumour?
According to reports from Spanish media outlet AS, Atletico Madrid are eyeing up a move for Real Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente.
Marcos Llorente is one of the players Zinedine Zidane wants to get rid of and Diego Simeone is keen to replace Rodri with Llorente.
In case you didn't know...
Real Madrid are currently enduring an abysmal campaign. They are currently 15 points behind winners Barcelona in the LaLiga and they were also knocked out from the cup competitions in the past months.
Los Blancos' current campaign is way below the sky high standards of the club and they will end the season without winning any major silverwares. Zinedine Zidane is their third coach in the 2018/19 season, after Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari were sacked due to poor results.
Marcos Llorente has featured 15 times for Los Blancos this season. Although the performances of defensive midfielder gained some praise under Lopetegui and Solari, Zidane is reluctant to give him the chance to perform. Since returning from injury, the 24-year-old has made just two appearances for his club in LaLiga. Llorente's release clause is whooping €200 million.
The heart of the matter
Real Madrid are desperate to revamp the squad with some new faces. As a result, Los Blancos could offload some players to make space for reinforcements and Zidane has already made a list of players he is going to get rid of.
According to the report, Simeone is keen to replace Rodri with Llorente if Rodri moves out this summer. Atletico Madrid tried to sign the talented midfielder back in 2017 and they will try again to secure Llorente's services. It remains to be seen whether Real Madrid lowers their expectations. Rodri has been linked to a move away to Manchester City and if that goes through, Simeone could make a move to Llorente.
Moreover, Zidane wanted Llorente to leave during last summer transfer window but the Frenchman's departure made Llorente stay with Los Blancos. With Llorente at the bottom of the pecking order, it seems likely that the Spaniard would seek new destination in the summer.
What's next?
Real Madrid will face Real Sociedad next in LaLiga on Sunday, after the former beat Villarreal 3-2 at home.
