Atlético Madrid Identify Nuno Espírito Santo as Preferred Target in Case of Diego Simeone Departure
By Tom Gott
Atlético Madrid are considering a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Espírito Santo if Diego Simeone chooses to leave for Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
For months now, there have been reports suggesting PSG are unconvinced by current boss Thomas Tuchel - probably because he refuses to treat Kylian Mbappé like the king he wants to be - and Simeone's name is one of several to have been suggested as a potential replacement.
According to The Sun, Atlético are well aware of the speculation. They have started planning for Simeone's potential exit, and they believe that they have what it takes to lure Nuno away from Molineux.
Los Rojiblancos have been impressed with Nuno's work in England, while they hope that their links to agent Jorge Mendes will help them get any deal over the line.
However, obviously this will all depend on Simeone. The Sun suggest that he could be tempted by PSG because of 'the riches on offer' in Paris, but that's directly before an image which shows Simeone as by far the highest-paid manager in the world already. Alright then.
While PSG's spending power is unrivalled, let's not forget that Atlético did drop a cool €126m on João Félix last summer, so it's not like there's no money on offer there. It's like Sam Allardyce telling JOE that Atlético have done well with 'limited resources'. Come on now.
Anyway, bizarre comments aside, it's believed that Nuno would have a tough time turning Atlético down as they can offer him Champions League football.
Nuno has long been touted for a move to one of Europe's top sides, with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal both believed to have considered him in the past. Having turned Wolves into dark horses for European qualification, that's hardly surprising.
Wolves currently sit eighth in the Premier League, but they're just six points behind Chelsea in fourth, and they also have a game in hand.
They could sneak into the top four with a string of impressive results, while winning the Europa League would also book them a place in the Champions League - which could be all Nuno needs to stay.