Cesc Fàbregas linked with sensational Atlético move

Every now and then, the endless rumor conveyor belt spits out a real gem - as in a rumor that doesn’t make much, if any, sense for one of the teams involved. On Thursday night, we received such a gem.

Catalan paper Sport, citing Eurosport, claim that Atlético Madrid have designated Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas as a transfer target for this summer. The 29-year-old has laid on seven assists with four goals over 22 appearances for the soon-to-be Premier League champions, but he has played fewer than 1,000 minutes this season, as Antonio Conte is the latest manager to become frustrated by the player’s tactical shortcomings.

Atlético, the story goes, believe that Diego Simeone can halt Fàbregas’ slide and that the ex-Barcelona man could have the same impact David Villa had when he moved to Atlético nearly four years ago.

This signing would not make sense on or off the pitch. Simeone would have to overhaul Atleti’s famous structure to accommodate Fàbregas, who would need to be shielded by two smart, disciplined, tactically astute pivots, whether he plays higher up the pitch or plays deeper as a long-ball specialist.

(Imagine Fàbregas playing in the center of the park in this 4-4-2. /shudders)

Further, Atleti and Chelsea did not exactly play nice over Diego Costa last summer, and that could factor into the asking price for a player the Blues paid 30 million euros to get in 2014. Fàbregas also is Chelsea’s third highest-paid player and his salary demands could be steep.

Regardless of whether this rumor comes off or not, it seems Atlético are dead set on acquiring star power during the close season to coincide with the move to A Stadium Called Wanda. However, Fàbregas hasn’t been a star in some time and is not the playmaker Atleti should be going after.