Atletico Madrid are believe they have two deals wrapped up, and have just one final priority to address this transfer window.
Los Colchoneros will confirm the deals of both Javi Galan from Celta Vigo and Cesar Azpilicueta from Chelsea this week, according to Marca. It appears as if Manu Sanchez and around €5m will go the other way in the case of Galan, while Azpilicueta will arrive on a free.
Their next priority is a deep-lying midfielder. Los Rojiblancos feel that they cannot compete effectively if they do not have someone that can play as the deepest midfielder, either moving Koke forward or playing alongside him, or at times replacing him.
The information in the Madrid daily is that they have not intention of nudging Koke out, and will take their time over finding the right player, but do want an alternative.
No doubt Atletico are recalling October of last year, when Koke missed a number of weeks through injury, causing the team’s form to collapse. Ultimately it resulted in their exit from the Champions League, and if they feel that is the difference, then it could even be considered a cost-effective move.
