Chelsea and Atletico Madrid target Vitolo signs new contract at Sevilla

Vitolo has ended speculation surrounding his future by signing a new contract at Sevilla to keep him at the club until 2022.

Spanish newspaper AS was the first to report the announcement of Vitolo's contract extension. 

Sevilla president Jose Castro, who had voiced his objections to Atletico Madrid's interest in the 27-year-old Spaniard, was quoted by AS as saying: "Today we can say that Vitolo is Sevilla player for the next five seasons. There has been a lot of talk about [his future] but he will wear the red and white Sevilla jersey."

"We are very happy about it, we must remember that Vitolo is one of us, he gives everything in the field. Only outsiders spoke speculated about his future while Sevilla acted on it."

While the player himself has not released a statement, Castro insisted that the player is "enormously happy to continue in Sevilla". 

Vitolo's contract not only keeps him at the club until 2022, but Sevilla have also inserted a new release clause worth €50 million, which is a €20 million increase from his previous contract which expired in 2020. 

Atletico Madrid were thought to be front-runners for the winger, with previous reports claiming that a deal to get the player was all but completed. It was believed that Vitolo would spend five months on loan at his hometown club Las Palmas before joining Atletico following the conclusion of the transfer ban in January 2018. 

Chelsea were also linked with a move for the Spaniard and were contemplating a £35 million cash-plus-player deal including either Michy Batshuayi or Kurt Zouma.