Atletico Madrid loses summer target, Carlos Espí, who is now in the sights of Real Madrid. The red-and-white club had been interested in the striker, but their indecision has opened the door to other clubs. According to sources from Marca and Onda Cero Valencia, the 21-year-old striker has been one of the most sought-after players in Europe after scoring 11 goals in 25 games, all after January. His performance was enough for Luis de la Fuente to include him in his provisional World Cup squad. His 25 million euro release clause has tempted clubs from England and Italy, but the player, born in Tavernes de la Valldigna, prefers to stay in Spain, which explains why he has skipped the last friendly of his team. Atletico Madrid had been heavily linked with Espí, but their indecision has opened the door to other clubs, such as Villarreal and Real Madrid, where the striker would have the guarantee of playing in the Champions League. Journalists Juan Arien and Ramon Alvarez de Mon confirmed that Real Madrid see Espí as a replacement for Gonzalo Garcia, who has joined Fulham to play under Alvaro Arbeloa. The newspaper AS backed up that claim. Levante, Espí's team, needs the money to finance other deals, which means that the transfer of the striker should be wrapped up before the end of the week.