MANCHESTER CITY had a £62million bid for Chelsea target Jose Gimenez rejected by Atletico Madrid, according to reports.
Pep Guardiola’s side are still thought to be on the hunt for another new centre-back this summer.
Jose Gimenez was the subject of a £62m bid from Manchester City but Atletico Madrid rejected the offerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But according to La Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Alfredo Pedulla, their approach for Gimenez was snubbed.
It is thought City offered an initial £62m for the Uruguayan defender, 25, but with added bonuses.
However, Atleti are keen to keep their star defender who is the third captain behind Koke and Jan Oblak.
It is reported he has a £109m release clause in his contract which still has three years left to run.
Chelsea did express an interest in signing him and have even sent scouts to watch him in action for his country.
Gimenez opened the door to a move to Stamford Bridge by openly declaring his appreciation for the club and boss Frank Lampard.
Speaking in an interview with LaLiga, he said: “I would have liked to play with Lampard.
“I always used to watch Chelsea as a kid, loved them.”
Gimenez signed from Danubio in his homeland in 2013 for around £800,000 and has made 191 appearances for the Rojiblancos.
The Etihad club are hoping to bolster their defensive options despite already spending £40m on Nathan Ake with Eric Garcia set to quit next summer.
Kalidou Koulibaly remains a target – and would cost around the same as Gimenez – but negotiations with Napoli are proving difficult due to the clubs’ strained relationship following the Jorginho saga in 2018.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
