Chelsea’s hopes of the signing the Atletico Madrid defender, Jose Gimenez have been somewhat dashed after it emerged that La Liga duo, Barcelona and Real Madrid want to sign the Uruguayan.
Spanish publication, Fichajes, claim that despite interest from West London, Barcelona and Atletico’s capital rivals, Real, will both attempt to outbid one another to sign the highly-rated 21-year-old, in an attempt to keep him in Spain’s top-flight.
Real manager, Zinedine Zidane views Gimenez as an opportunity to bolster the defensive ranks in the summer, while Barcelona want the defender as a long-term replacement for Dani Alves.
Florentino Perez, the president of Real, is ready to match Atletico’s £50m release clause, giving the in-coming Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, a headache, prior to taking the new job.
However, a move could be tough to achieve for any of the three clubs keen on Gimenez, as Atletico face a Champions League semi-final date with Bayern Munich, and are in the La Liga title race.
