Man Utd tipped to sign Liverpool target Marcos Llorente

Manchester United are expected to beat Liverpool to the signing of Marcos Llorente after Atletico Madrid put the midfielder up for sale this winter, according to reports via TeamTalk.

Llorente has been a key player under Diego Simeone since joining the club from Real Madrid in 2019 with the midfielder making over 130 appearances in all competitions over the past four seasons.

The Spanish international forged a reputation as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in La Liga after providing 12 goals and 11 assists in his 37 appearances during the 2020/21 campaign.

However, Llorente’s form dropped considerably last season as he managed just 2 assists and no goals after being deployed in a deeper role by Simeone. The 27-year-old has continued to struggle this campaign with Simeone shifting him out to the right wing.

It’s not helped that Atletico are having a poor season themselves and they crashed out of all European competition after finishing bottom of their Champions League group behind Porto, Club Brugges and Bayer Leverkusen.

It’s led to reports suggesting that Atletico are ready to overhaul their squad in January and need to offload some players to help balance the books and raise funds for new signings.

Liverpool have long been linked with Llorente and the Express reported recently that Jurgen Klopp could step-up his interest in signing the Spaniard this winter after Atletico put him on the transfer list.

Man Utd favourites

The Merseysiders desperately need to inject fresh blood into their ageing midfield following a disastrous start to the season and Llorente would be an excellent replacement for the likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner.

However, it looks like Liverpool could miss out as TeamTalk are citing a report from the print version of Mundo Deportivo that claims Manchester United are in pole position to sign Llorente in January.

The Spanish outlet suggests that a move to Old Trafford is now the most likely outcome with Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag believed to be a huge admirer of the midfielder – who is available for £35m [€40m].

Ten Hag is tipped to further strengthen his squad in January and Llorente has been earmarked as a replacement for Donny van de Beek. The Dutch international has struggled since joining United from Ajax and is expected to be available for transfer this winter.

Llorente would be a terrific addition to the Manchester United squad if they could lure him to Old Trafford and £35m would be an excellent piece of business. However, there is still a long way to go and we’ll have to wait and see whether Liverpool do their best to try and lure the Spaniard to Anfield instead.