Atletico apparently walked away because they knew they couldn’t match the wages we’d offer, not because they didn’t want him. The actual price tag was nothing to do with it by all accounts, Atletico were happy to pay the fee, it was wages that made them baulk. It’s why they’ve now gone for Joao Gomes instead, in this case it’s Gomes is the second choice. According to Sky Sports, we’re agreeing a £35m deal plus add-ons. Given that we paid £60m for Mount who was in a similar situation a few years ago, I’d say we’ve learned some lessons. This is also the way the market is going, many clubs are happier to let contracts run down to get the last ounces of ability from a good player rather than sell, whereas a few years ago clubs were desperate to sell to get money for players.
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