Atletico Madrid have been probing the possibility of signing Sporting Lisbon full-back Cristiano Piccini, who has also been on Arsenal and West Ham’s radar.
With Manchester United believed to be considering a move for Sime Vrsaljko from Atletico, the Spanish giants are putting in contingency plans in case they lose the Croatian this summer.
And their eyes have turned towards Portugal for a solution as it has been claimed that the Spanish giants are considering the possibility of taking Piccini from Sporting Lisbon.
According to Portuguese daily O Jogo, Atletico Madrid have conducted scouting missions on the Sporting Lisbon defender over the season and are aware of his qualities.
Bought from Real Betis last summer, the Italian defender took little time to settle in Portugal and made 40 appearances in all competitions for the club in the just concluded season.
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His performances at Sporting Lisbon have led to some of the European clubs taking note of his talent and the 25-year-old has popped up on the radar of several sides.
The Premier League’s West Ham and Arsenal are said to be keeping tabs on him and even Italian champions Juventus are interested in getting their hands on the former Fiorentina man.
Piccini has a €45m release clause in his contract, which expires in 2022.
