Atletico Madrid seem to have found some clarity in the summer business, with the renewals of Jan Oblak and Thomas Lemar being leaked this week.
It shows that Los Colchoneros are confident of their finances, given they are locking down some of their stars on long-term deals.
However according to L’Equipe, Lemar’s new contract comes with a significant sacrifice. Mundo Deportivo picked up on the story which tells how Lemar has taken a 50% pay cut in order to remain in Madrid until 2027. His previous deal ran out in 2023.
The Frenchman would have been put on the market this summer and hadn’t received any attractive offers, thus Lemar decided to accept Atleti’s terms. Although it does appear he was somewhat forced into a corner by the lack of interest, Lemar could just as easily have run down his contract and potentially received more lucrative offers as early as January.
Lemar had been struggling to find his groove at Atleti until their title-winning season a year back, when he finally made a significant contribution to the side. Last season was hampered by injuries, but if he can return to the form of 2020-21, Atletico Madrid will have star for the next five years as the 26-year-old enters his prime.
