The Atlético de Madrid wants to have a historic summer with the second part of the squad revolution that began a year ago. Last season, players of the caliber of Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sorloth, Conor Gallagher, and Julián Álvarez arrived at the Metropolitano, and it will be difficult to top that in this transfer window, but the Colchonero sports management has started strong, albeit late, as the important signings were made after the failure in the Club World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
The fact is that last season, despite the signings mentioned above, there were once again some gaps in Cholo Simeone’s squad. Once LaLiga was over, names began to emerge to strengthen Atlético Madrid, but the only signings that were confirmed were Clement Lenglet and Juan Musso, who had played on loan at the Metropolitano last season. Once they returned from the United States, the Rojiblancos officially announced the signings of Matteo Ruggeri and Álex Baena, the latter being a move that has excited the fans.
In addition, it should be noted that Atlético Madrid has also announced several departures. For example, veterans such as Axel Witsel, César Azpilicueta, and Reinildo Mandava did not extend their contracts with the Colchonero squad, and on June 30, they left the club. A few days ago, the permanent transfer of Rodrigo Riquelme to Real Betis was also announced. More departures are still expected, as players such as Thomas Lemar and Nahuel Molina could end up leaving the Rojiblanco club in this transfer window… or Rodrigo de Paul, who could be reunited with Leo Messi.
The door remains open
There are still positions to be strengthened at Atlético Madrid, and various media outlets have reported that the sporting director has a few surprises up his sleeve. One of the names that came up was Viktor Gyökeres, but the Swedish striker is close to Arsenal, so it seems unlikely that he will leave Sporting Portugal to join Cholo Simeone’s team. In addition, his signing would be accompanied by the departure of Alexander Sorloth, for whom offers will be listened to, but who will not be sold off and could continue next season at the Metropolitano.
Barring any surprises, Atlético Madrid are still hoping to sign a center back, with Cuti Romero the favorite, but they are facing opposition from Tottenham, who are not making the deal easy. In midfield, the signing of Johnny Cardoso is also expected, which has been agreed for several weeks but has not yet been officially confirmed by the Colchoneros.
Gavi and Fermín López on the radar
Despite the arrivals of Cardoso and Álex Baena, Atlético Madrid is preparing a bombshell for this transfer window. According to Okdiario, the Colchoneros want Gavi and will meet in the coming days with Deco to discuss the Andalusian’s transfer. The Spanish international does not want to leave, but with the World Cup just around the corner, he could be looking for more playing time, which Cholo Simeone would guarantee him.
The Rojiblancos’ tactic will be to wait for the Los Palacios player until the end of the summer and thus put pressure on Barcelona, who, if they are not going to have many opportunities for him, may be interested in loaning Gavi out to reduce their wage bill. This information also suggests that Atlético Madrid will take Fermín López off the market, but this player would be much more complicated because Hansi Flick considers him one of his best substitutes for the second half.