Over the last few weeks, Atletico Madrid have been looking to sign a new defensive midfielder. It is an area that head coach Diego Simeone is very keen to see strengthened, especially following the hamstring injury suffered by club captain Koke.
However, despite being linked to numerous targets, including Marco Verratti and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, no deal is currently far advanced as Atletico currently cannot afford to pay any asking price.
With just two days to go until the summer transfer window closes, it is looking increasingly unlikely that Atletico will be able to sign a new midfielder, and according to MD, Simeone has resigned himself to this fact.
Cholo has been preparing for the next few weeks without an extra option in midfield. With Koke not returning until after the international break, it means that Pablo Barrios is expectedly to fill in again this weekend, having impressed during the 7-0 rout of Rayo Vallecano on Monday.
Simeone will no doubt be frustrated by the lack of movement at Atletico Madrid over signing a new midfielder, and given that his side are gunning for the LaLiga title this season, it could be a big disadvantage that they won’t have an extra option in the middle of the park.
