- Atlético Madrid have bid €35m for Matías Fernández-Pardo, but Lille want more than €70m to consider selling the Belgian forward.
Atlético Madrid submits €35m offer
Atlético Madrid has submitted a €35 million bid for Lille winger Matías Fernández-Pardo, but the French club has made clear that they will only consider offers above €70 million, according to Sébastien Denis of Foot Mercato. Lille doesn't want to listen to offers because they are in a comfortable financial position, expecting a massive sale of Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi to Manchester City.
Manchester City and LOSC are currently finalizing the last details of their agreement for Ayyoub Bouaddi, and Lille wants to recover at least €100 million from the operation, as City is pushing to close the deal because Rodri is moving to Barcelona.
Atlético Madrid is hoping to keep Julián Álvarez on the team, and Simeone wants to bolster the attacking option by adding a versatile player like Matías Fernández-Pardo, who had an impressive last season with Lille.
The 21-year-old Belgian scored 8 goals and provided 5 assists from 29 league matches last season, which puts him on the radar of several European clubs. His consistent performance with Lille also earned him a crucial role in the FIFA World Cup squad of Belgium, where he featured in 3 matches.
Fernández-Pardo not pushing for an exit
With Fernández-Pardo happy to remain at Lille and the club under no financial pressure to sell, Atlético Madrid face a difficult task if they want to push the deal forward.
Lille manager Carlo Ancelotti is also keen to retain his squad as the club prepares for Champions League football.