Malaga are keen to keep Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur linked Sandro Ramirez at the club this season, with the player also thinking along the same lines, according to Spanish daily AS.

The striker, who joined Malaga from Barcelona only last summer, was in superb form in the 2016/17 campaign, scoring 16 goals and providing five assists in 31 appearances in all competitions.




Sandro has attracted the interest of several clubs both in Spain and abroad, owing to his impressive performances in the recently concluded season, coupled with his release clause being just €6m.

Besides Liverpool and Spurs, the likes of Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Sevilla, Valencia, Southampton, Stoke City and Newcastle United have all been credited with showing interest in the 21-year-old.
 


Los Rojiblancos, who were leading the race for Sandro, even met the player’s agent Gines Carvajal last month, it has been claimed.

relatedNewsStory

However, earlier in the month it was learnt that Atletico Madrid will not be able to sign new players this summer as their transfer ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

As a result, Atletico Madrid now want to sign Sandro in January, but Malaga and the forward are not keen on the idea.

The youngster thinks his chances of playing in the Champions League will reduce if he signs for Atletico Madrid in January as clubs can register a maximum of three new players for the continental competition after the winter transfer window.

The Spanish giants have already set sights on signing the likes of Vitolo, Diego Costa and Alexandre Lacazette in January and Sandro feels he might miss out on Champions League football if he joins Diego Simeone's men in the winter.

Sandro also thinks that he will receive more playing time if he remains at Malaga this season as he wants to postpone any move to Atletico Madrid by a year.

And that could open the door for his Premier League suitors to firm up their interest.