Manchester United have warned Atletico Madrid that they are not prepared to meet their asking price for right-back Kieran Trippier this summer.
United have identified Trippier as their ideal target to bolster both sides of their defence, but they recently saw a £10m bid for the 30-year-old knocked back by Atletico, who would want far more than that to sell their starting right-back.
There has been some confusion over just how much Atletico are looking for. The Guardian say his asking price has been set at around £34m, similar to the release clause in his contract, but BBC Sport claim it is closer to the £20m mark.
Even if it is that lower price, United are not thought to be willing to pay that kind of money for a player who will turn 31 in September and who has just one year remaining on his contract, although that is another point of contention.
Trippier signed a three-year deal when he joined Atletico from Tottenham in 2019, meaning he would have just 12 months remaining on his contract now, but there have been suggestions that a 12-month extension was quietly triggered earlier this summer.
AS report that Trippier had a clause in his contract which would trigger an extra 12 months if he played 20 matches in all competitions over this past season. He smashed that number out the park, playing 35 times for Diego Simeone's side and apparently triggering this mystery clause.
Atletico have not confirmed that extension, which seems to have caused some real confusion in the media.
The length remaining on Trippier's contract will likely determine Atletico's asking price. With two years remaining on his deal, they are well within their rights to demand £30m+ for their starting right-back, whereas the £20m figure sounds fair if his contract truly is expiring.
Regardless of when his contract expires, it seems as though United are hesitant to go much higher than their initial £10m offer, which might leave this deal dead in the water.
Aside from Trippier, United have previously been linked with Norwich City's Max Aarons, although he is expected to command somewhere closer to the £40m mark.
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Source: 90min
