Manchester City interested in 24-year-old Atletico Madrid defender | OneFootball

Icon: Madrid Universal

Madrid Universal

·11 August 2022

Manchester City interested in 24-year-old Atletico Madrid defender

Article image:Manchester City interested in 24-year-old Atletico Madrid defender

The arrival of Reinildo Mandava at Atletico Madrid in the last winter transfer window provided Diego Simeone with a new option at left-back. The Mozambique international initially played as a backup to Renan Lodi, but eventually stole the limelight.

As the season progressed, Lodi’s importance in the team reduced. The manager tried various formulae to integrate the Brazilian as a midfielder, but none clicked in the long term.


OneFootball Videos


And he could now be on his way out as, according to reports from The Telegraph, Manchester City are interested in signing the Lodi from Atletico Madrid.

This is not the first the Premier League champions have been interested in Lodi, for it was reported that the club made a staggering €50 million offer for the 24-year-old Brazilian in 2020.

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s move to Arsenal has now once again opened up a vacancy in the Man City squad at left-back. Pep Guardiola sees the Atletico Madrid full-back as the ideal replacement for the departed Ukrainian.

If Lodi’s primary concern in Madrid is lack of playing time, a move to City may not be the right solution. The Premier League champions have a world-class operator in Joao Cancelo, who has excelled at left-back despite being a right-back, and displacing him would be close to impossible.

Lodi’s contract at Wanda Metropolitano sees him at the club until the summer of 2025. Three years remain on his deal and Atletico Madrid are under no pressure to sell him.

Last season, the Brazilian made 29 league appearances for the Atleti scoring two goals and providing two assists. However, he only started 13 of those 29 appearances.

View publisher imprint