Atletico Madrid look as if they may lose Mario Hermoso this summer, and are starting to make contingency plans. The 28-year-old defender is the only natural left-footed central defender, and is out of contract in the summer.
Hermoso’s renewal is a topic that has been discussed for months in the Spanish capital, but Los Rojiblancos look no closer to penning a contract with him. As such, it looks as if he could leave in the summer, with Premier League clubs looking at him as an option.
According to Relevo, one of the candidates to replace him is Nottingham Forest defender Murillo. The 21-year-old Brazilian central defender joined Forest on the final day of penultimate day of the transfer window last summer for €12m from Corinthians. He has gone from strength to strength in the Premier League since, starting 23 of the 24 games he has been available for.
🗣️ Did your departure from Atletico hurt you?
🎙️ Diego Godín: “No, it didn’t hurt me. Not reaching a renewal agreement hurt me, and it wasn’t for economic reasons.”@relevo pic.twitter.com/JDSjXDgeTo
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 27, 2024
With Forest at risk of a points deduction due to FFP breaches, and just four points above the drop as it stands, they could be facing relegation. Simultaneously, they will have a squad of around 40 players in the summer when loanees return, forcing them into loans and sales – this is where Atletico feel they could take advantage of the situation to sign a promising defender on the cheap. The same outlet also mention good relations between the two following deals for Renan Lodi and Felipe.
Los Rojiblancos are certainly due an investment in their defence, even if Diego Simeone would probably rather it was not at the expense of Hermoso in prospect. The last central defender that Atletico spent money on was Hermoso himself in 2019. This season their leaky backline has been their Achilles’ heel, hampering their impressive exploits at the other end.
