Atletico Madrid eyeing shock winter move for Barcelona star whose relationship with Xavi is 'completely broken' - Reports
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has emerged as a bombshell target for Atletico Madrid ahead of the January transfer window, according to Spanish outlet Okdiario.
Gerard Pique has had a successful career as a footballer, winning a plethora of trophies with club and country. However, his life is currently plagued with issues on and off the pitch.
Much has been said about the defender's split from Colombian pop star Shakira, the mother of his two sons. At Barcelona, his relationship with former teammate and current manager Xavi is deteriorating.
Pique has found playing time hard to come by at Camp Nou this season, clocking just 134 minutes across competitions. Xavi allegedly views him as his fifth-choice centre-back behind Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo.
The relationship between the manager-player duo is thus 'completely broken', according to the aforementioned source. This has also raised concerns over Pique's future with the Blaugrana.
Atletico Madrid are keen to take advantage of the situation by luring the 35-year-old to the Wanda Metropolitano. They are reportedly eyeing a shock move for the player in the upcoming January transfer window.
Es el bombazo que prepara el Atlรฉtico en este mercado de invierno#Exclusiva de @pacorabadan โ๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐พ๐รฉ ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ ๐ต
๐ Es el bombazo que prepara el Atlรฉtico en este mercado de invierno
๐ Simeone busca con urgencia un central con experiencia y jerarquรญa
๐ La relaciรณn entre... okdiario.com/deportes/simeoโฆ
Los Rojiblancos have made a poor start to the season and find themselves sitting seventh in La Liga after six matches. They are conceding at a rate of one goal per game in the Spanish top flight.
Diego Simeone is thus looking to strengthen his defense in the winter transfer window. He is of the view that Pique would be an ideal addition for Atletico Madrid, as per the report.
The performances of Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic and Felipe this season have left much to be desired. Simeone thus wants Pique to come in and play a role similar to what Diego Godin used to do at Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona defender Pique open to Atletico Madrid move
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are currently involved in a dispute over Antoine Griezmann's transfer. It thus remains to be seen if the Catalans are prepared to do business with their league rivals.
Pique, though, is tempted by the prospect of joining Simeone at the Wanda Metropolitano, as per Okdiario. Hence, he could be on his way out of Camp Nou when the window opens in January.
Injuries to Kounde and Araujo have given the Spaniard hope of getting playing time after the international break. Should he find his playing time limited in the coming weeks, he could push for a move away from the club.