Interest for Atlético Madrid’s top league goalscorer, Antoine Griezmann, has not died down as the transfer window approaches. Yet with numerous key departures already, Atléti cannot afford to lose another star man.
With the imminent opening of the transfer window, moves will be made by clubs across Europe in order to improve their position in their respective league. Atlético Madrid, of course, is no different and the personnel changes have already begun as the club looks to replicate the form which saw it win La Liga in the 2013-14 season.
Mario Mandžukić departed last week to Serie A champion and Champions League runner-up Juventus in a reported €19 million transfer.
With Brazil eliminated from the Copa América, Joao Miranda looks to be the next first-team player out of Atléti. The efficient centre-back has been a solid performer for Atléti since his move to Madrid back in 2011. Miranda, 30, has one year left on his contract so could be a bargain buy. Inter Milan looks destined to land the defender in a €12 million deal as it looks to climb back to the pinnacle of Italian football.
The next departure could be fellow teammate Mario Suárez. The Spaniard looks set to move on after the emergence of Saúl last season, while the likes of Gabi, Tiago and Koke all remain ahead of him in the pecking order.
The man Atléti cannot afford to lose, however, is Antoine Griezmann.
The Frenchman was the standout of Atléti’s 2014-15 season. The 24-year-old, arrived at Atléti for €30 million on a six-year contract in July 2014 after five seasons with Real Sociedad. With Mandžukić also signed in the same transfer window, it was he who was added to the team to replace departed talisman Diego Costa. But instead of the Croatian taking the role, the smaller, faster and more skilful Griezmann became Atléti’s go-to-man.
With 22 league goals and only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having scored more, any departure of Griezmann would require a top-class replacement. The arrival of Martínez, 28, for €35 million, shows the cost of acquiring a top striker. Even with the money invested coming in from a potential sale, the likelihood of replacing Griezmann is slim.
The attacker has spent his whole professional career in Spain, is accustomed to the league and its style of play and at the young age of 24, has room for further development and many more years of dazzling the football world. With cashed up Chelsea strongly linked with a move for Griezmann through his buy-out clause, Atléti looks vulnerable to losing its prized asset one year from arriving in Madrid.
Villarreal’s Luciano Vietto, another pending arrival at Atléti, could be the readymade replacement for the possible departure of Griezmann. Both have the ability and quality to play out wide as well as in the centre-forward position, yet it looks likely that Vietto will feature on the opposite wing position to Griezmann with the sudden news that Arda Turan is looking to challenge himself in the English Premier League.
Ahmet Bulut, Turan’s agent, confirmed his client wishes to move away from the Vicente Calderón this summer.
“His intentions are to leave Spain this summer,” Bulut told AS.
“His will is to leave and to play in the Premier League that is the path he would like to take to continue his career.”
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Bulut also confirmed Turan is in discussions with three Premier League sides. One of the rumoured interested parties is Chelsea, but Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United seem likeliest to prize the Turkish international away from Atléti.
Reports suggest United have agreed to match his release clause, and that a deal could be finalised imminently.
With Simeone revealing a return to central midfield for Koke accompanied by another central midfielder with different characteristics, the rumoured diamond formation of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2 is a strong possibility for a team that favours high pressing and counter-attacking football.
With Griezmann able to play both formations superbly, Simeone will be able to play his side the way he prefers unlike last season. However, with Turan’s exit seemingly close, the departure of Griezmann will require Simeone to search for another player with similar characteristics which will not come cheap for a club still in financial debt. Griezmann has shown his quality this season and placed himself among Europe’s best young talents, including the likes of Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale.
If Atléti is to improve on last season efforts and target silverware, it must keep hold of its leading goalscorer.
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