Atletico Madrid stall on Lookman, start process to sign Chelsea star

Atletico Madrid have reportedly opened talks with Renato Veiga's representatives and are aware of Chelsea's demands for the Portugal international. 

Rojiblancos have been one of the most active clubs this summer transfer window. Having already signed Mateo Ruggeri, Alex Baena, Thiago Almada, and Johnny Cardoso, they are working on bringing in a centre-back and a forward. 

Ademola Lookman is the forward they have in mind, but they are waiting for exits before pressing forward with the move.

Their first-choice centre-back target was Cristian Romero, but Tottenham made it clear the Argentine was not for sale. They have now focused their attention on Veiga. 

Chelsea are demanding €40 million for the highly-rated defender, and Atletico will have to battle Bayern Munich, who are also interested in the defender. 

Renato joined Chelsea last December from Basel in a transfer worth €14 million. He became a Portugal international in that period; his talent is not in question. 

However, he pushed for a move away from the club in January, as he was unsatisfied playing left-back and in midfield. He was loaned to Juventus, where he played his preferred position—centre-back. 

Veiga shone in Italy; however, Juventus opted against signing him permanently, as they could not match Chelsea's demands for the defender.