Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid not ruling out the possibility of recalling 22-year-old loanee in January
A certain Rodrigo Riquelme has shown immense potential this season while playing on loan from Atletico Madrid to Girona, with the 22-year-old scoring four goals across all competitions.
Interestingly enough, one of his three goals in La Liga came against his parent club on October 8, 2022, in front of a packed Civitas Metropolitano. While the match ended in Atletico’s favour, Riquelme was cheered by everyone in the stadium not only when he scored the goal but also when he was substituted.
So for someone who has spent several seasons on loan, Riquelme has now developed a knack for finding the back of the net one way or the other, as last season, when playing for CD Mirandes, he ended up providing 12 assists during the season.
But while Riquelme is pretty much enjoying his loan tenure, Atletico might have to pull him out of the situation mostly because the circumstances they are in right now are not ideal.
Now out of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, the team from the capital city is forced to balance their accounts, meaning that in the coming months, several top players could leave.
If that is done, Spanish publication MARCA believes the team might well look to shorten Riquelme’s loan tenure by striking a deal with Girona to bring him back in January.
Now, there is no denying the fact that Riquelme is one for the future. He has a contract with Atletico until 2028 and if not in January, he will return to Madrid at the end of the season.
The only thing that troubles Atletico right now is the concerning finances. Riquelme is going to be the one to look for at the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and one good performance will put him on the world map.
With a termination clause of just €60 million, many teams would take advantage of Atletico’s vulnerable position so it will be interesting to see how the Rojiblancos cope with the situation.
Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid monitoring teenage striker with €40 million release clause – Romano
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Atletico Madrid are among the clubs monitoring the progress of UD Almeria striker Marciano Sanca.
The 19-year-old Guinea-Bissau forward joined Almeria from Portuguese outfit Leixoes in January last year, linking up with the club’s B team.
Marciano has made three league appearances Almeria’s reserve team and has not scored a goal yet. The teenager has been training with the first-team setup regularly and Romano claims that he is close to making his debut in La Liga.
While he might not have made a splash at the senior level yet, Marciano seems to be already gathering admirers with Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Brighton & Hove Albion said to be tracking the youngster.
Los Rojiblancos are set to enter the market for a new centre-forward as Joao Felix is expected to be sold permanently while Alvaro Morata’s future is also not entirely certain.
So even though Diego Simeone has Memphis Depay, Angel Correa, and Morata at his disposal, Atletico Madrid will dive into the market for a new striker with there being links to Mateo Retegui of Boca Juniors, currently on loan at Tigre.
Now, Marciano has also emerged as a potential target or Atletico Madrid, although signing him will not be easy in the summer.
Even though the 19-year-old’s contract expires in 2024, he is bound by a release clause worth €40 million and Almeria intend to keep him at the club beyond this season.
So, the La Liga club might hold out for the entire release clause amount in order to stave off potential suitors like Atletico Madrid, who are not in a position to make such an investment on an unproven youngster.
