Atletico Madrid appear to have their priorities clear for the summer transfer window, and have already started work on them. It seems likely that they will move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson dos Santos, and now they have a number nine on the agenda.
This year the Atletico forward line has been something of a lottery, with Julian Alvarez out of form, Antoine Griezmann perhaps the most consistent, but also used less often, and Alexander Sorloth in and out of form. Ademola Lookman seems to be a set choice for the coming seasons, but beyond that there is little certainty.
Atletico Madrid working on Joaquin Panichelli
One name Atletico were linked to back in December, alongside Barcelona, is Strasbourg’s Joaquin Panichelli. The Argentina international is enjoying a fine debut season in Ligue 1, and El Chiringuito say that Atletico Madrid are keen to sign him, and are already working on a deal for the former Mirandes hitman. Panichelli’s move to Strasbourg cost around €17m, but previously it has been reported that the French side, who also belong to Chelsea owners Blue Co., would be open to do business for around €30m.
🚨 EXCLUSIVA de @inakivdl.
😯 “El ATLETI QUIERE a PANICHELI”.
‼️ “El BARÇA NO ha hecho ninguna OFERTA por JULIÁN”. pic.twitter.com/FwMEIuPzPD
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) February 20, 2026
Panichelli interest unrelated to Julian Alvarez
The report goes on to state that their interest in Panichelli is not related to the future of Alvarez. Amid plenty of speculation over his future, Panichelli is not considered a replacement for Alvarez, with Atletico often operating with two forwards. If anything, it seems more likely that Panichelli could cause the exit of Alexander Sorloth, who still isn’t a regular starter in his second season.
🚨🇦🇷 JUST IN: Julián Álvarez’s camp has informed FC Barcelona that the player will cost €200m.
[🥇: @santiovalle, @ellarguero] pic.twitter.com/bSkUPWbKvs
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 20, 2026
Panichelli’s season in Ligue 1
So far, Panichelli has 14 goals and four assists in 31 appearances for Strasbourg since moving from Mirandes. He has more or less maintained his scoring rate from his breakout season at Mirandes last year, when he netted 21 times in 44 appearances, despite it being his second season in top-flight football. In November, Lionel Scaloni handed him his Argentina debut.
