Atletico Madrid News
Newcastle United emerges as most likely destination for Atletico Madrid attacker
Atletico Madrid are stuck in quite a limbo with Joao Felix’s future ahead of next season. The Portuguese, currently on loan at Chelsea, has not performed convincingly enough for them to consider retaining his services on a permanent transfer.
Atletico Madrid are not looking to recover the €130-ish million they paid for him in 2019 from Benfica. They would be happy to get a sum around €80 million as the team is already struggling to come up with a budget for the summer transfer window.
With Felix’s salary on their wage bill, and without the money expected from his departure, Atletico will not be able to adjust much on transfers in the summer. The Portuguese could become a huge problem for the Spanish outfit, and therefore they are looking to offload him quickly.
If Chelsea do not end up signing Felix, the most likely option for him could become Newcastle United, according to Cadena SER.
Newcastle inquired about Felix before his departure to Chelsea, and possibly still hold an interest in his services.
The Magpies are currently sitting in a Champions League spot and already have the money from their new owners that can be invested to sign an expensive player.
Felix signed for Chelsea in the winter transfer window on a six-month loan that did not include an option to buy him. He ended up receiving a red card on his very first appearance for the blues.
Since then, he has scored just two goals for Chelsea, and is yet to register an assist to his name.
He has also lost his place in the starting lineup against Frank Lampard in the last two games, coming off the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion and Real Madrid.
With Chelsea languishing in 11th place after 31 games, Felix has no more than seven games to convince the Stamford Bridge board of what he can bring to the table.
Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid, Chelsea contact PSG midfielder’s agent with player set to leave
Atletico Madrid and Chelsea are among the clubs that have made contact with the agent of PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes, who is set to leave this summer.
This claim comes from journalist Martin Arevalo on ESPN, who states that apart from Atletico and Chelsea, an unnamed third club have also established contact with the Argentine international’s representative.
Paredes has been on PSG’s books since January 2019, when he arrived from Zenit St. Petersburg. For a large part of his time at the French capital outfit, the midfielder had been a regular starter in the side.
However, last summer saw Paredes get shipped out on loan to Juventus. He has played 33 times for the Bianconeri this season with a return of one goal and assist apiece.
The Serie A heavyweights, who were recently hit with a 10-point deduction, have the option to purchase him permanently. But, as per the report, his relationship with manager Massimiliano Allegri is not good and a return to PSG is on the cards.
And considering that he is not in the plans back at Parc des Princes either, a permanent departure away seems set in stone for Paredes.
As such, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, and an unnamed club have shown interest in acquiring his services by making contact with the 28-year-old World Cup winner’s agent.
With Koke entering the final phase of his career and Geoffrey Kondogbia expected to leave at the end of the season, the Rojiblancos could do with reinforcements in the centre of the park.
Paredes, who has plenty of experience at the highest level and is known for his aggressive mentality, can be a good fit into Diego Simeone’s setup at the Civitas Metropolitano.
But, with Chelsea also in the picture, things could get tricky for the Colchoneros. After all, Atleti are operating on tight finances and are looking for bargain and free transfer signings in the market with the likes of Marcus Thuram, Jordi Alba, and Raphael Guerreiro emerging as targets.
