La Liga giants Athletico Madrid are known for punching above their weight, both domestically and on the stage of European football, and therefore their recently publicised transfer battle with Manchester City over Leicester City and England left-back Ben Chilwell, as reported by The Sun, should come as no surprise.
Diego Simeone’s side, having finished 2nd in La Liga in the 2018/19 campaign, are set to lose Diego Godin from their defensive unit and Antoine Griezemann in attack, and a £71m bid for Ben Chilwell, who has shot to international prominence, is yet another ambitious move from Athleti backed by funds that will be generated this summer.
Chilwell has been attracting interest from City over the last 12 months, but the continuing question marks over left-back Benjamin Mendy’s fitness and temperament have led the Citizens’ hierarchy to consider pursuing alternative options.
During the 2018/19 campaign, Chilwell started all bar two of Leicester’s 38 Premier League matches, registering five assists and receiving considerable acclaim for his defensive prowess coupled with energetic, attacking bursts down the left-flank.
At just 22, the Leicester youth-product has been capped six times by his country and has been included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Nations League, but the reported interest from City in one of England’s finest defensive prospects is likely to alarm Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers, as the Scotsman bids to bridge the gap between the top-six and the chasing pack; losing Chilwell would be a damning blow to Leicester’s prospects of achieving this.
Having only signed Riyad Mahrez in a club-record deal last summer, City may opt for a similar model of recruitment in the 2019 window with making minimal additions, yet devastatingly for the Foxes and Rodgers this may involve cherry-picking one of their most pivotal players from the King Power Stadium.
Chilwell is unquestionably a player of Champions League quality, and despite a charge to the quarter-finals in 2017, the Foxes are presently unable to offer opportunities in Europe’s premier club competition.
Whilst Rodgers’ ambitions will undeniably align to Leicester getting back into Europe, the timing of City and Athletico Madrid’s interest may have come a season too soon for Rodgers, as the East Midlands side potentially prepare to lose yet another star asset to the Premier League’s elite.
