Atletico Madrid need to convince Sevilla midfielder to join this summer

Atletico Madrid still want to sign Vitolo but have a lot of work to do to convince the Sevilla forward to make the switch this summer, reports AS.

Diego Simeone’s side were unsuccessful in their attempts to overturn a FIFA-imposed transfer ban last week, which means Atletico can still buy players this summer but they won’t be able to register them until January.

It has already seemingly put an end to their pursuit of Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette but the Spanish giants are still determined to secure Vitolo’s services, although it remains a hugely complicated deal.

Vitolo, who has a €40m (£35m) release clause, is desperate to play for Spain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and sacrificing six months of the season by signing for Atletico this summer could seriously dent those ambitions.

Atletico are also unlikely to be willing to loan the 27-year-old back to a direct rival for the first six months of the season, while Sevilla would also have to accept they couldn’t use the Spaniard in the Champions League, which is also unlikely.

There is also the fact that Atletico are not alone in their admiration of Vitolo and the versatile Sevilla midfielder has already confirmed there is interest from other clubs for his services this summer.

In the last four La Liga campaigns Vitolo has provided at least eight more assists than any other Sevilla player (19).

For more stats on Vitolo, click here to visit his WhoScored player page