Atletico Madrid transfer update: Two departures and one addition targeted

The January transfer window tends to be far more quiet than the summer counterpart, and Atletico Madrid have been active over recent seasons, signing 16 new first-team players over the last two summers. With new Sporting Director Mateu Alemany installed though, Los Colchoneros are seeking to be active in the market this winter.

One deal that is certain for next summer is Nicolas Gonzalez – his option to buy for €32m will be made permanent after meeting the conditions in the loan deal with Juventus. Gonzalez was required to play at least 45 minutes in 60% of Atletico’s La Liga games, and he has already reached 21 of the 35 he needed to do so in order to seal a permanent deal, as per Marca.

Defensive addition targeted in January window

The one area that Marca say Atletico will try to strengthen is left-back. Diego Simeone has alternated between new signings David Hancko and Matteo Ruggeri, but with the aim of allowing Hancko to play his more natural position of centre-back, Alemany will look to sign a left-side defender to compete with Ruggeri.

Originally, the plan had been to try and bring in a central defender, with Al Ahli’s Merih Demiral being lined up. Yet the idea of moving Hancko central, combined with Marc Pubill’s recent strong showings there, have allowed Alemany and Simeone to alter their plans.

Atlético Madrid is seventh on the list of clubs that have earned the highest total amount of prize money (€723m) from UEFA competitions between the 2014–15 and 2023–24 seasons.

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— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) December 17, 2025

Two departures on the agenda

Part of the reason for the targeting of a left-back is Simeone’s lack of trust in Javi Galan. The veteran left-back was expected to leave in the summer, and with just 223 minutes to his name, Atletico will look for exit routes for him. Similarly, academy forward Carlos Martin has played just a single minute on his return from a loan move to Alaves, and they will look to find an exit for him too.

Uncertainty over Giacomo Raspadori

Another underused player is Giacomo Raspadori, who arrived from Napoli in a €26m deal in the summer, but has played just 309 minutes himself. A fringe player so far after a difficult start, Raspadori has been linked with a return to Serie A. MD explain that Roma are one of his potential landing spots, where manager Gian Piero Gasperini is reportedly a fan.

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