Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid interested in signing €20 million-rated former Barcelona forward in January
Atletico Madrid are looking to reinforce their squad in the January transfer window with cost-effective signings and have set their sights on former FC Barcelona forward Abel Ruiz.
This report comes from Portuguese publication A Bola, as relayed by Diario AS, who claim that the SC Braga striker has emerged on the radars of the Rojiblancos ahead of the winter trading period.
Ruiz started out at the Valencia academy before signing for Barcelona’s La Masia youth setup in 2012. Having risen through the ranks at the Catalan club, he made 68 appearances for their reserve team and managed one senior appearance.
Ruiz joined SC Braga on loan in January 2020, before the transfer was made permanent later that year. Since joining the club, the 22-year-old has made 111 appearances for the Portuguese outfit, scoring 21 and assisting 11 goals.
The Spaniard has five goal involvements in 21 matches in the ongoing campaign and while those numbers are not impressive, it seems like the young forward has caught the attention of Atletico Madrid.
Los Rojiblancos are likely to make some tweaks to their squad in the January window in order to balance the books. But at the same time, they want to ensure that there is no lack of depth and compensate for the departures with cost-effective signings.
Matheus Cunha and Joao Felix are two players that are the most heavily linked with exits. Their potential departures would weaken the attacking unit which is where Abel Ruiz enters the picture.
However, the report indicates that SC Braga will demand a sum of €20 million for the former Barcelona striker. Whether Atletico Madrid will have the financial wherewithal to meet those demands will be interesting to see.
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.
