Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid consider selling misfiring striker in January, could accept €35 million offers
It is no secret that Atletico Madrid’s shock elimination from the UEFA Champions League group stages is set to have major repercussions on the squad, ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
The club must recoup the lost revenue by selling some of their star players. And according to GOAL, one such player could be Matheus Cunha.
Formerly of Hertha Berlin, Cunha joined Atleti last year for a fee of around ̉€26 million. The attacker had a positive start to his career in Spain as well, having been involved in 12 goals in La Liga, even though his form disappeared during the latter stage of the 2021/22 season.
Cunha’s struggles have continued in the new campaign, where the forward has not been able to carve out minutes for himself. Indeed, he has failed to even muster 400 minutes of league football this term and is yet to even score a single goal in any competition.
In light of Cunha’s struggles, Atletico Madrid are studying the possibility of offloading him in the January transfer window, reports Goal. The forward was courted by clubs like Manchester United earlier in the summer, but the move did not materialise as the player wanted to remain at Atleti.
That may change in January, when Cunha, having fallen behind the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata and Joao Felix in the pecking order, could look for a move elsewhere in order to revive his career, especially after failing to make the cut to Brazil squad for the World Cup.
The report suggests Atletico Madrid themselves could fancy the sale of the Brazilian international. They could consider offers in the region of €35 million, even though the player has a release clause worth €100 million.
There is no doubt that Atletico Madrid are bracing themselves for a busy summer ahead as they look to address the future of some of their star players. One of them is Saul Niguez, who has fallen out of favour under Diego Simeone and could leave the club.
A recent report from Mundo Deportivo has offered an update on the future of the Spaniard, suggesting that the player has once again become a market attraction.
The versatile star was on loan at Chelsea last season, but his spell at Stamford Bridge was far from ideal, as he featured in less than 500 minutes of league football. He returned to Atletico Madrid in the summer, and even though he wanted to leave the club, a move did not materialise.
Saul was even linked with a move away from Atleti in January. But Valencia, who were interested in him at the time, could not afford the deal, particularly because of the player’s salary and transfer fees.
The report from Mundo Deportivo states that Valencia have retained their interest in the player. But in addition to Los Che, Saul has been targeted by two other Spanish teams in the form of Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla.
Rayo have expressed the desire to sign Saul in the coming season. But they are likely to face economic difficulties in funding a move for the midfielder. The same can be said for Sevilla.
Saul’s current contract at Atletico Madrid expires in 2026, a deal that was agreed when the player was at his peak. But the long contract has now come back to haunt Atleti, as they desperately look to get rid of the Spanish international.
With his suitors likely to face financial trouble in weighing up a move, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Saul in the coming summer.
Saul is not the only Atletico Madrid player facing an uncertain future, with Axel Witsel’s father also hinting at a possible exit recently.
Dan Burcea
November 9, 2022 at 7:09 am
I think that the first to be sold is Morata!