Last week, Atletico Madrid’s move to sign Artem Dovbyk broke down, with the Girona striker now set to join Roma. They’ve moved on quickly from that debacle, with all efforts now being put into their pursuit of Alexander Sorloth.
🚨🇪🇸 Samu Omorodion scores in the Olympics against Egypt!
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 30, 2024
Sorloth finished one goal behind Dovbyk in the Pichichi Trophy race last season, in what was a spectacular first campaign with Villarreal. It could be his one and only at the Ceramica, as it’s been reported by L’Equipe’s Loic Tanzi that Atleti are “very close” to sign the Norwegian marksman.
Alexander Sørloth (Villarreal) est tout proche de s'engager avec l'Atletico. Les deux clubs négocient encore les derniers détails pour un transfert qui devrait tourner autour de 35M€. #Mercato
— Loïc Tanzi (@Tanziloic) July 30, 2024
According to Tanzi, Atleti and Villarreal are currently negotiating a deal worth €35m – notably, this is below Sorloth’s €38m release clause. Los Colchoneros have no intention of paying the clause, which is why they’ve been trying to agree a reduced fee.
It can be considered surprising that Villarreal are negotiating for Sorloth. Not only is he one of their most important players, they also do not need any more sales this summer because they are about to close deals for Filip Jorgensen (€24.5m to Chelsea) and Ben Brereton Diaz (€8m to Southampton). Atletico Madrid won’t be complaining, especially if they are secure an agreement.