Atletico Madrid are closing in on a deal to sign Monaco ace Thomas Lemar, claims Cadena Ser.
Lemar has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in the last 12 months but now looks poised to join Atletico.
Diego Simeone’s side have already had one €60m bid rejected for the France international but are confident of signing the Monaco midfielder.
The Spanish giants are even prepared to hand Lemar the No.10 jersey for the upcoming season, though a deal is unlikely to be completed until after the World Cup.
Lemar’s arrival would increase Atletico’s chances of keeping France international team-mate Antoine Griezmann, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona.
Griezmann is due to make an announcement on his Atletico future this week, but there is a growing feeling that he will stay.
Lemar is coming off the back of a disappointing season for Monaco and it was a surprise that he was named in France’s World Cup squad.
The 22-year-old only scored two goals in 30 league games, but did register eight assists for Leonardo Jardim’s side.
In the last two Ligue 1 campaigns only Thomas Mangani (70) has provided more goalscoring opportunities from set pieces than Lemar (59).
