Real Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente has reached an agreement to make the switch to Atletico Madrid, Los Rojiblancos have announced.

Atletico Madrid have made an official announcement to confirm that they have reached an agreement with Real Madrid over the transfer of Marcos Llorente. The move will be subject to the completion of a medical, following which the Spanish midfielder will officially join Los Rojiblancos on a five-year deal.

Marcos Llorente had been a part of the Real Madrid since 2008, back when he was a schoolboy. After making a gradual progression in the youth ranks at the club, the Spaniard had to bide his time before a loan spell away at Alaves helped him break through in Los Blancos’ first-team.

But, regular game time continued to come at a premium until the arrival of Santiago Solari in the 2018-19 season. However, the tide reversed after Zinedine Zidane returned to the helm at Real Madrid in the second half of the campaign. By the end of the season, the 24-year-old midfielder had managed just 16 appearances across all competitions.

But, with Zidane not really favouring him during his time as the Real Madrid manager, it had long been rumoured that Llorente would end up leaving the La Liga giants this summer.

Several clubs had been linked, including Premier League champions Manchester City, who were reportedly eyeing him as an alternative to their priority target Rodri. But, Atletico Madrid have now prevailed in the race to sign the Spanish midfielder.

The Colchoneros are preparing for the aforementioned Rodri to join City, with the Premier League champions prepared to pay his €70 million release clause. The departure of the 22-year-old would leave Diego Simeone short of holding midfield options, with Thomas Partey the only other player who fits the bill.

Llorente never managed to enjoy the confidence of Zinedine Zidane. (Photo by Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)
Llorente never managed to enjoy the confidence of Zinedine Zidane. (Photo by Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)

The move for Llorente thus, makes sense for Atletico Madrid, who have now reached an agreement with Real Madrid over a move for the player. The only thing that remains for the transfer to be formalised is the completion of a medical, following which Llorente will sign a five-year contract.

While the transfer fee has not been mentioned in the announcement, MARCA report that Real Madrid will receive €40 million from the deal. So, Atletico Madrid have not just managed to secure the services of a replacement for Rodri, but are now also set to pocket €30 million from the domino effect, once Rodri joins Manchester City.

After a busy signing spree that last saw Real Madrid capture Takefusa Kubo, albeit for the Castilla side, a series of departures now appear set to begin. This has started with Atletico Madrid’s signing of Marcos Llorente and it remains to be seen if the 24-year-old can kickstart his career at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Recommended

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.