The top priority for Atletico Madrid going into this summer’s transfer window is the acquisition of a new central midfielder. There is uncertainty over whether club captain Koke Resurreccion will continue for another season, and with January signings Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas keen as project players, there is a strong desire to add another player into the mix ahead of next season.
Atleti sporting director Mateu Alemany has been hard at work in his search to secure the services of a new midfielder for Diego Simeone’s squad. Atalanta’s Ederson dos Santos is currently being pursued, but with that deal currently on the rocks, he has pivoted to another Brazilian star.
Atleti were noted with an interest in Joao Gomes during the winter transfer window, and according to Alex Crook of talkSPORT, they have now opened talks with Wolves over a deal for the midfielder.
Wolves value Gomes at €46m
As per the report, Atleti are being asked to pay £40m (€46m) to sign Gomes from Wolves, whose relegation from the Premier League was recently confirmed. Despite their drop down to the EFL Championship, they are not prepared to hand out discounts on their players, meaning that Los Colchoneros may struggle to bring down the price.
Atleti are likely to have to pay a similar figure to sign Ederson from Atalanta, meaning they must come to a decision on their preferred target. There is not too much difference between the two players, meaning that it will come down to who is more fancied by Simeone and Alemany.
It will be interesting to see which way Atleti go in their midfielder pursuit. Ederson and Gomes are high on their list at this stage, but there is plenty of time for others to be added into the mix before the summer transfer window opens at the start of July.
