Atletico Madrid have been forced to look at other alternatives to Leon Goreztka with just four days left in the transfer window, after the Bayern Munich midfielder turned down a move to the Metropolitano this winter. Sporting Director Mateu Alemany had traveled to Munich for talks on Monday, which have ultimately been unsuccessful.
Los Colchoneros had made a €2-3m offer to Bayern, and offered to cover his salary for the rest of the season. Goretzka was thought to be keen on a move, but has now pulled out, as confirmed by Bayern Sporting Director Max Eberl to Fabrizio Romano.
🚨🇩🇪 BREAKING: Leon Goretzka will leave FC Bayern in the summer as free agent, not now.
“Leon’s time at FC Bayern will be over in the summer. He will go another way after 8 successful years. We’ll fight together in coming months to achieve big things”, confirms director Freund. pic.twitter.com/Kbx6EOVY1s
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 30, 2026
Los Colchoneros, as per Marca, could still be interested in Goretzka in the summer as a free agent, but will also face competition from Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan if they do pursue him then.
Atletico Madrid exploring Davide Frattesi deal
That development has led Atletico Madrid to turn to alternatives, with Diego Simeone desperate for reinforcements. Matteo Moretto explains that Atletico have enquired about Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi, and are weighing up a loan move with an option to buy, but there is competition from Nottingham Forest and Lazio.
It seems they consider Wolves’ Joao Gomes too expensive at €45m, while they would need Atalanta to come down on their €40m valuation of Ederson dos Santos too, but Atletico have been in contact with La Dea again about the Brazilian.
🚨🇪🇸 Mateu Alemany highly values Andoni Iraola’s work and could be a coach who fits Atlético Madrid in the future.
[🎖️: @MatteMoretto, @RadioMARCA] pic.twitter.com/URlL03xpb8
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) January 29, 2026
Ademola Lookman move back on the table
Those talks with Atalanta have also included the name of Ademola Lookman, whom Atletico tried to sign in the summer. Cadena SER say that Los Colchoneros are back in talks with Atalanta for Lookman, who is one of their primary offensive targets. In his case, Fenerbahce are also in the mix.
Other names looked at by Alemany are Kang-In Lee of Paris Saint-Germain, and Forest’s Igor Jesus, but the French side have ruled out a move for the South Korean before the summer.
