Atletico Madrid have had a summer of arrivals to rival any in their past, with the additions of Clement Lenglet, Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sorloth, Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez. It is having consequences though, with Arthur Vermeeren and Santiago Mourino following Samu Omorodion out the door going the other way.
Vermeeren arrived for €18m from Royal Antwerp in Belgium, but could not click with Diego Simeone, and Los Rojiblancos have decided to let him go to RB Leipzig. The initial loan deal will cost €3m, and if Vermeeren hits a set amount of appearances, it will automatically trigger a €20m buy clause. While it has not worked out for the 19-year-old Los Rojiblancos will no doubt be delighted at the prospect of potentiall making a nearly 30% profit next summer.
🚨🇺🇾 Deportivo Alaves will pay Atlético Madrid around €2m for Santiago Mouriño. Atleti bought him last season for less than €3m. They will have a buy-back clause.@marca pic.twitter.com/awqPBRTQql
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) August 27, 2024
Meanwhile Uruguayan defender Mourino has left the club permanently. The 22-year-old has left for Alaves for €2m, say Diario AS, after spending last season on loan at Real Zaragoza in Segunda. Los Rojiblancos will not make a profit from the central defender, who arrived for €2.7m from Racing Club in Montevideo.
Neither exit will impact Atletico much on the pitch, but it does age their squad profile a little, with their youngest central defender now 27 years old in Le Normand. Vermeeren had much more of a chance of having an impact on the team though, and in midfield it is 21-year-old Pablo Barrios who has likely edged the wonderkid out.
