Aston Villa have had plenty of success shopping in Spain in recent seasons, and with the arrivals of Unai Emery as manager and Monchi as Sporting Director, their coveting of La Liga talents has only increased. The latest to be linked with the Villains is Atletico Madrid winger Samuel Lino.
The 24-year-old came on leaps and bounds last season, authoring 8 goals and 8 assists in 46 appearances. This year he has so far been used a little more sparingly by Diego Simeone, but was crucial in grabbing a late equaliser in the Madrid derby on Sunday night.
🚨🔴⚪️ JUST IN: The most likely sanction from the Competition Committee against Atlético Madrid for what happened during the derby is a partial closure of the Metropolitano. Anything else would be a surprise.@carrusel pic.twitter.com/CJtfBbAKCC
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) October 2, 2024
Meanwhile Monchi has reportedly been keeping tabs on Lino for the past two years, and is a fan of his. Villa have been linked with a January move for Lino, but Fabrizio Romano has explained to The Daily Briefing that there is little to no chance of Lino exiting Madrid this winter.
“Atletico Madrid consider Samuel Lino a crucial player, so I don’t think there’s any possibility for an exit and for sure there are no concrete talks or discussions taking place. I don’t think there’s any chance for Lino to leave Atletico Madrid in January, he’s crucial player for Diego Simeone and for Atleti’s project,” Romano sentenced.
Lino is developing into a fine player, and is difficult to stop for most defenders these days, but it will be interesting to see what role he is used in this season. With Julian Alvarez being used on the left on the occasion, it will be interesting to see how much use Lino gets this season. If his role does decline, then it would be no surprise if suitors are knocking on the door for Lino next summer.