Luciano Vietto cost Atletico Madrid £18m two years ago – but Southampton were reportedly considering a bid of around £5m less.
No one has seen the best of Luciano Vietto since he made that £18 million move from Villarreal to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015, as reported by ESPN.
Vietto looked set to be the latest Argentinian goalscoring prodigy and was likened in some quarters to a certain Sergio Aguero after netting 20 times in a stunning debut season for Villarreal. In the two seasons since, however, the 23-year-old has hit the back of the net on just 13 occasions in all competitions.
He’s back at Atletico Madrid this season after a difficult loan spell at Sevilla but, in five largely toothless appearances, is yet to add to his three goals for Diego Simeone’s side.
The fact that Vietto has started three La Liga games this season is surprising enough. However, the fact that he continues to squander easy chances while looking like a player whose confidences has hit rock bottom comes as less of a shock to anyone who has watched him play in the last two years.
Therefore, Southampton’s reported interest coming to nothing will not have Saints supporters tossing and turning despite failing to find the back of the net for the fifth time already this season in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United.
The Sun (11 August, page 61) reported that Southampton were readying a £13.5 million bid for a player who looked a natural-born goalscorer in the yellow of Villarreal.
However, despite the alarming drop of form suffered by Manolo Gabbiadini and Charlie Austin’s recent injury problems there’s little reason to suggest Vietto would have been £13.5 million well spent.
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