Atlético de Madrid have been looking for a left-footed centre-back to replace Mario Hermoso since the start of the transfer market. The Spaniard decided not to renew his contract, as he was not happy with the club's offer and left as a free agent. Gil Marín's bet was Hancko, but negotiations with Feyenoord have been stalled for weeks.
This has led the sporting management to focus on closing the arrivals of Julián Alvarez and Conor Gallagher. The Englishman seemed to have already been signed, but negotiations with Chelsea went awry, although it is expected that everything will be closed this week. After this, Gil Marín will once again try to bring Simeone a replacement for Mario Hermoso, who was a key player for him.
Simeone uses this player
In the absence of a new left-footed centre-back, Diego Pablo Simeone is preparing for the match against Villarreal with Reinildo. The Monzambique defender was an undisputed starter before his serious knee injury. However, he struggled to get into competitive form last season and there have been rumours of his departure this summer.
At the moment, he is set to start, but it seems that he will not do so as a centre-back. Simeone has tried with Le Normand on the left side and with Reinildo as a left-back or wing-back. With the players that the Argentine coach has tried, he could start with a 4-4-2 or a 5-3-2.
Oblak; Llorente, Azpi, Witsel, Robin, Reinildo; Griezman, Barrios, Koke, Lino; Sorloth seem to be the chosen ones. The option of starting with a 4-4-2 would be to match the same formation that Marcelino García Toral's Villarreal plays with.
Lenglet the closest
Although he is the last option on the list, Atlético de Madrid know that Lenglet is the easiest option. Hancko, Hincapié and Laporte are centre-backs for whom a high transfer fee would be required, as would a high salary in the case of the Spanish-French player. However, Lenglet would surely leave for free and his salary would be negotiated with Barcelona.
Hansi Flick is not counting on him and the Catalan club wants to get him out of the team by any means necessary. Lenglet already has an agreement with Atleti, but the red-and-whites will try to get hold of the other three names mentioned above.