Atletico Madrid ready to rival Everton for former Barcelona striker

Atletico Madrid are the latest club to show an interest in Malaga striker and Barcelona youth academy product Sandro Ramirez, claims AS.

Ramirez has been a revelation for Malaga since joining from Barcelona on a free transfer last summer but the 21-year-old has a €6m (£5m) release clause in his contract that makes it unlikely he will still be at the club beyond the end of this season.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman and director of football Steve Walsh were reportedly spotted at La Rosaleda for Malaga’s 3-0 win over Celta Vigo last weekend and even spoke with the forward’s agent, Gines Carvajal, fuelling suggestions the Premier League side would make a move this summer.

However, the Toffees won’t be the only side interested in Ramirez and now even Atletico are reportedly eyeing a move as Diego Simeone seeks to bolster his offensive options.

Simeone wants to revitalise his attack this summer in a bid to close the gap on their Spanish rivals once again but their transfer strategy hinges entirely on whether their FIFA-imposed transfer ban is overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CaS].

Of players aged 21 and under in Europe’s top five leagues this season, only Timo Werner (19) and Dele Alli (17) have scored more goals than Ramirez (14).

For more stats on Sandro Ramirez, click here to visit his WhoScored player page