Villarreal begin hunt for new striker as Atletico Madrid close in on theirs | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid are close to agreeing a deal with Villarreal for Alexander Sorloth. The Norwegian, who finished second in the Pichichi race, looks set to be Alvaro Morata’s replacement at the Metropolitano.

The 28-year-old has a €38m release clause, but Atletico are trying to close a deal for slightly less. Relevo say that Roma, West Ham and Al-Qadsiah have all fallen to the attraction of moving up a level for Sorloth. Diario AS back up those reports, saying the final price will be around €35m, but that the deal will not be consummated until the Yellow Submarine find a replacement for Sorloth.

The Norwegian target man scored 26 goals last season, after a stunning run in the second half of the season. If he can translate that to Atletico, then they will no doubt have their replacement for Morata. However fans at the Metropolitano will be wary of Sorloth’s streakiness too – Morata scored just five goals less than Sorloth last season, and on the fifth of January this year, the former had nine more goals than the Norwegian.