Reports | Atletico Madrid interested in a loan move for Mauro Icardi

Mauro Icardi has been the club captain and a regular starter for the club for the past few seasons. However, he was stripped of his captaincy in February, with new manager Antonio Conte signing Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku and handed him Icardi's preferred number 9. It is clear that Conte sees the Argentine as surplus to requirements with Juventus and Napoli eager to sign the controversial striker.

However, according to ESPN, the 26-year-old is eager to move to Madrid and has seen La Liga giants Atletico Madrid show an interest. It has been reported that the Los Rojiblancos prefer a loan deal with an option to buy next season, but the Nerazzurri are insisting on the selling the player this season. 

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is confident that the Argentine will face no problems in adapting to life in Spain, as Icardi has previously played for Barcelona’s youth academy. But Icardi’s footballing career has been tarnished by numerous controversies, and Simeone has already made it clear that his behaviour will not be tolerated at the Wanda Metropolitano.