Real Madrid have announced they have agreed a deal in principle to sell Marcos Llorente to city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Atletico have been locked in talks to sign Llorente from Madrid after Rodrigo confirmed his desire to leave the club this summer.
Diego Simeone’s side were linked with a move for Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka but have now turned to Llorente in a deal that will reportedly cost €40m (£35.6m).
The 24-year-old has great potential but Atletico's offer proved too good to refuse for Madrid, who are desperately trying to raise funds this summer to balance their books.
Llorente only made seven league appearances last season and Madrid will be more than satisfied with the offer received for someone that is not a first-team regular.
With Madrid targeting Paul Pogba and Christian Eriksen this summer, Llorente would have been pushed even further down the pecking order at Madrid next term.
News that Atletico have agreed a deal in principle to sign Llorente will also accelerate Rodrigo’s move to Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side have made it clear they will trigger Rodrigo’s €70m release clause and are favourites ahead of Bayern Munich to sign the Spain international.
Of players that started at least five LaLiga matches last season, Llorente had the sixth best pass success rate in the division (93.1%).
