Diego Godin’s agent used Man United to secure new Atletico Madrid contract

As per a report from Sky Sports News, the agent of Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin, aware that Manchester United are desperate to sign a central defender, made contact with the Red Devils earlier today, before using the interest of Jose Mourinho and co. to secure an improved contract for his client in Madrid.

World-class

Godin, 32, has been on the books of Atletico since 2010, and is widely regarded as one of, if not the finest central defender in all of world football.

His grit and leadership at the back for Diego Simeone’s men personify everything that Los Colchoneros stand for, with the South American’s  showings over the last 8 years having proven absolutely crucial to Atletico racking up a La Liga title, Copa Del Rey, 2 Europa Leagues, 2 UEFA Super Cups and reaching a pair of Champions League finals during his time with the club.

Rejected

As such, word doing the rounds in the media over recent weeks that Godin’s current contract at the Wanda Metropolitano contains a surprisingly-low 25 million Euro release clause has seen rumours mount that a number of clubs are inevitably expressing an interest in the stopper’s services.

Serie A champions Juventus were previously the side most heavily-touted as a potential destination, though the Bianconeri recently ended their chase of the 122-time capped Uruguayan international after securing Leonardo Bonucci’s return to the club from AC Milan.

But, as per a surprise report from the reliable Gianluca Di Marzio earlier today, a new club, in the form of Manchester United, were said to have inserted themselves firmly into the race for Godin’s services.

The Sky Italia reporter revealed that United offered the full 25 million Euro release clause in Godin’s contract to Atletico, before offering the player a hefty 9 million Euro-per-season salary to make the move to Old Trafford.

Foul play

However, as per a number of updates in the hours since, it has been suggested that it may not have been Manchester United who in fact initiated contact with Godin, but rather vice-versa.

According to Jim White of Sky Sports News and numerous other outlets, Godin’s agent is said to have actually contacted the board at Old Trafford to suggest that they table a bid for his client.

But, unbeknownst to Jose Mourinho and co., this is rumoured to have been little more than a ploy on the part of the stopper’s representative to secure an improved contract for Godin, with the Uruguayan having since agreed a hefty new deal at the Wanda Metropolitano:

On Diego Godin, his agent engaged in interesting tactics. Agent approached @ManUtd and said player was keen to join. United made an approach to @atletienglish but within hours, Godin signed new, improved deal worth 7.5million euros a year! Nice!

— Jim White (@JimWhite) August 9, 2018