Barca and Atletico after young Argentinian star from Velez

Talk of Thiago Almada moving to Europe has been around since summer 2020. The Velez Sarsfield player sparked interest back then and continues to do so today. 

Four or five teams are following the Argentinian attacker closely, according to 'Cancha Argentina' journalist Nico De la Rua. 

Marseille are the latest to join the list of clubs interested in the Velez player, but Barcelona and Atletico are ahead of them. 

"It's obvious that (Pablo) Longoria (Marseille's sporting director) likes him, but Barcelona, Atletico and the two Manchester clubs are also alert to the situation," De la Rua said. 

Velez turned down an offer of 20 million euros last year, so in Argentina they are saying that they will definitely not accept an offer of 10 million this January. 

In addition, 'MD' said that Thiago Almada's agent is the same as Diego Simeone's, which could mean Atletico Madrid are slightly ahead in the race to sign him. 

This season, Thiago Almada has played seven matches for Velez and scored three goals.