Atletico Madrid have made a breakthrough in talks to sign Espanyol centre-back Mario Hermoso, claims MARCA.
The Spanish giants have been locked in talks to sign Hermoso for a number of weeks and have finally submitted an offer Espanyol are happy with.
Hermoso will now undergo his medical and thrash out personal terms with Atletico and a deal could even be completed today.
The 24-year-old has a €40m (£36m) release clause in his existing Espanyol contract but it is unclear whether Atletico have matched that fee.
Diego Simeone has been on the market for a new centre-back all summer after Diego Godin left for Inter on a free transfer at the start of the month.
Hermoso, who is billed as Gerard Pique’s long-term replacement for the Spanish national team, was linked with a move to both Manchester United and Manchester City this season.
Atletico, however, have seemingly won the race for the talented Spaniard and he is now set to become the latest high profile arrival at the club this summer.
The LaLiga outfit have smashed their transfer record to sign Joao Felix from Benfica and Hermoso’s impending arrival will take the club’s summer expenditure beyond the £200m mark.
Hermoso only missed six league matches for Espanyol and garnered a modest WhoScored rating of 6.95. He netted three goals and won the WhoScored Man of the Match award three times in that period.
Only four players completed more clearances than Hermoso in LaLiga (167) last season.
