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One Super Mario wasn't enough to kickstart Liverpool's attack this season, so the club might look to double down on the strategy by purchasing striker Mario Mandzukic from Atletico Madrid over the summer. The 29-year-old attacker, who has notched 12 La Liga goals for his team this year, is being "lined up by Brendan Rodgers" according to the Metro.
This comes after the Daily Star reported that Atletico were interested in Aston Villa's Christian Benteke, thus deeming Mandzukic's presence unnecessary.
To put it simply, the current iteration of this rumor can be firmly filed in the "not happening" department. It's hard to see Liverpool showing genuine interest in a player who at 29 has failed to produce elite goalscoring numbers on a successful team. Unless Mandzukic is available at a cut-rate cost he isn't what the team should be looking for in terms of age, production and play style.
Moreover, it makes little sense for Atletico to replace Mandzukic with Benteke, as that exchange would likely be a monetary net loss that wouldn't even guarantee a significant boost in on-field performance.
It's always fun to see new faces pass through the Liverpool rumour mill every once in a while, but for now it should be expected that Mandzukic's presence in this column will remain fleeting and not too serious.
