Atletico Madrid News
Inter Milan keeping tabs on injury-prone Atletico Madrid centre-back – report
According to David G Medina of MARCA, Inter Milan are keeping tabs on the situation of Atletico Madrid defender Jose Maria Gimenez and would consider a move for him if he becomes available in the summer.
The 28-year-old Uruguayan has been at the club since 2013 when he was signed from Danubio in his homeland. While he has been a regular in the team for a long part of his stint with the Rojiblancos, of late, Gimenez has been struggling with fitness and injury problems.
Just this season, the defender has missed as many as eight matches due to injuries and illness. And according to the report, there are several people within the Atletico Madrid offices who believe that selling Gimenez might be in the best interests of the club.
It is stated that they see him as an unreliable player due to his fitness woes while the club are also in need of making sales in the summer in order to rebuild their squad.
While Gimenez has always wanted to stay at the club, the possibility of Atletico Madrid selling him could become a reality in the summer.
Amidst this, Inter Milan are keeping a close watch on his situation and would consider swooping in if the Colchoneros, their manager Diego Simeone and the player decide that they would part ways in the summer transfer window.
Inter Milan will be needing defensive reinforcements before next season as Milan Skriniar is headed for PSG while there are question marks over the continuity of Stefan de Vrij as well.
Gimenez is contracted with Atletico Madrid until the summer of 2025. Inter Milan have previously signed centre-backs like Diego Godin and Miranda from the Rojiblancos in the past. Whether the 28-year-old joins that list will be interesting to see.
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.
