Atletico Madrid still have much to play for this season, but there is already a fair amount of attention on their summer transfer plans. Sporting director Mateu Alemany has plans to address numerous areas of Diego Simeone’s squad, and perhaps the biggest piece of business that needs to be done is finding a replacement for Antoine Griezmann.
Last month, it was confirmed that Griezmann would be leaving Atleti at the end of the season to fulfil his dream of playing in the MLS. He’ll be heading to Orlando City in the summer, which is why a replacement must be sorted- and while replacements have been identified in recent weeks, Alemany has decided to go in a different direction than first thought.
According to Marca, Julian Brandt has been identified as Atleti’s primary target to replace Griezmann. The Borussia Dortmund playmaker is out of contract at the end of the season, and given that it is already known that he will not be signing a renewal, Los Colchoneros see it as a clear chance to pick him up as a free agent.
Atleti are keen to bring in someone that plays in a similar way to Griezmann, and they see Brandt as just that. He has 11 goals and three assists this season from a midfield position, and here is a belief that he would be able to improve upon this in Simeone’s system, where he would play further forward.
Brandt could be one of many signings this summer
It looks set to be yet another busy summer transfer window for Atleti, who are determined to close the gap to Barcelona and Real Madrid above them. Brandt could be one of several signings made, with plans for additions at centre-back, left-back and in midfield, with Ederson dos Santos currently the favoured candidate for the latter.
