Football has been paused, and clubs are trying to plan their summer activity without knowing when or if the transfer window will even take place, let alone how much money they will have to spend.
For teams at the top of the table like Atletico Madrid, whose entire model relies on them not wasting money on monster fees and wages, this create a very difficult situation. They try to plan years in advance, with contracts and transfer fees amortised over longer periods, and the global chaos at the moment makes that kind of forethought almost impossible.
Marca have an in-depth piece about their summer planning, including their difficult situation regarding their non-EU player slots. Because of Brexit, Kieran Tripper will no longer fall into that category, meaning someone else will have to be shifted.
Marca point out that this means Atleti won’t be able to sign any more South Americans unless they have European passports. There is one potential solution however: Brazilian defender Felipe spent three seasons at Porto and could get a Portuguese passport, freeing up a spot for a summer arrival.
