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Realistically, there seems to only be one outcome when it comes to an exit for Luciano Vietto. A move to Atletico Madrid, a chance at Champions League football, and a chance to link back up with the manager who gave him his professional debut back in 2011, Diego Simeone. This seems to be the player's preference, and as long as Simeone remains boss at the Vicente Calderon, there's a significant chance that the club are willing to do what it takes to trigger an exit from Villareal.
Apparently so are Liverpool and Arsenal, though, at least according to a report in AS on Sunday morning. Atletico are still the frontrunners, but the two English clubs are supposedly willing to pay the €20m release clause, which translates to around £14.4m. That is a significantly lower outlay than Liverpool are reported to be willing to spend on Christian Benteke, and it would be on a player whose fit in a pressing, uptempo, ball-on-the-floor tactical setup is unquestioned.
Liverpool's struggles this past season leave them third in line, unfortunately, and to make a deal work they would seemingly have to offer more competitive wages and a starting spot. Even that might not be enough, but given their departures already this summer and the lack of an identified front-line striker to start next season, both are workable from the club's perspective.
The club being able to swing it doesn't mean it will become a reality, however, and as noted above, it's hard to see past Vietto ending up at Atletico with Simeone. Still, this is the type of player that Liverpool need to be pursuing this summer, and it's at least heartening to read that there's interest. The key this summer will then be that, unlike a year ago when they threw their hands up and took whatever they could get, they continue to pursue a similar profile and hope that they're able to land a player who will almost certainly improve their squad rather than settling.
