On Tuesday, it was widely reported that Atletico Madrid had turned down an offer from Chelsea, believed to be in the region of €40m, for young striker Samu Omorodion. The Premier League giants have identified the Spain U21 international as one of their leading targets for the summer transfer window, although their efforts to get a deal done have taken a major blow.
Atleti signed Samu last summer for just €6m from Granada, and although club bosses are not against selling him after only one season (which he spent on loan at Alaves), they would want much more than the opening offer tabled by Chelsea.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the reason that Atleti rejected the €40m offer is because they believe that Samu will be worth much more in the coming years.
🚨 Atletico Madrid believe Samu Omorodion is going to be worth way more than €40m in 1 to 2 years. Chelsea have no intention to pay his release clause of €80m, but he remains the main option along with Duran.
[🎖️: @FabrizioRomano, @WatchPlayback] pic.twitter.com/syFLcZw4Xz
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) June 18, 2024
Atletico Madrid would be powerless to stop Samu leaving if Chelsea paid his €80m release clause, but for now, this is something that they have no intention in doing. However, he does remain one of their top striker targets, so there could be movement on this in the coming weeks.
