Over the weekend, Liverpool fans were rocked by reports that Andy Robertson is open to a move to Atletico Madrid this summer.
Fabrizio Romano revealed the bombshell news on Saturday afternoon that talks are already underway regarding a potential swoop by the LaLiga club for the Reds left-back, who’s considered a ‘priority’ target for Diego Simeone’s side.
Further details on Los Rojiblancos’ pursuit of the 31-year-old have now emerged, and one aspect in particular won’t be kindly received by Kopites.
How much do Atletico intend to pay for Robertson?
On Monday evening, Paul Joyce reported for The Times that Atletico are hopeful of paying a paltry €5m (£4.2m) for Robertson, whose future at Liverpool has been thrown into doubt amid the expected arrival of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth.
The Scotland captain cost the Reds just £8.5m when joining from Hull City in 2017 but is about to enter the final year of his contract at Anfield, where he’s become ‘a hugely influential figure behind the scenes’ and a genuine leader within the dressing room.
While the 31-year-old is the main left-back target for the LaLiga outfit, they’re understood to be considering Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne as an alternative if their pursuit of our number 26 hits a dead end.
Selling Robertson for less than £5m would seem daft from Liverpool
Robertson mightn’t have had his best season for Liverpool and his contract may be nearing its conclusion, but for Atletico to get him for just over £4m this summer would be daylight robbery.
At his age, he still has a few years left in him at the highest level; and while his game-time might become more rationed if (as seems likely) Kerkez signs for the Reds, he’d still be a vital figure in Arne Slot’s squad next season if he were to remain at Anfield.
With the Premier League champions set to once again fight on four fronts throughout the campaign and potentially playing around 60 matches depending on how far they progress in knockout competitions, having strength in depth will be of paramount importance, particularly if injuries were to strike.
If Robertson is adamant that he wants the move to Atletico, it might seem churlish for Liverpool to deny him that after how commendably he’s served us over the past eight years.
At the same time, though, FSG can’t just submissively give into the Madrid club’s wishes if they feel they’re not getting a fair price for him, or if they firmly believe that the Scot remains a hugely important figure in L4.
Reds fans may well have their fingers crossed that Los Rojiblancos’ pursuit of our long-serving left-back hits the buffers and they instead switch their attention to Digne.
