Atlético de Madrid , who want to arrive in the best conditions for the new season, have many open fronts. The main one is the transfer market, in which they must close several folders for the upcoming season. Diego Pablo Simeone 's team is not only moving in transfers, as they have had great objectives.
The arrival of Conor Gallagher has alleviated one of the main problems for the red-and-whites: the midfield. Throughout the summer, several names have been mentioned as being part of Atlético de Madrid . One of the most important, that of Mikel Merino , who is going to head to the Premier League in the last few hours, leaving Real Sociedad .
Mikel Merino, former Atletico Madrid target, heading to the Premier League
As they say in these cases, 'colorín, colorado, this story is over', and Real Sociedad is left without its star. It has not been a very positive summer for the San Sebastian team, as they also lost Robin Le Normand . In this case, the Spanish international left for Atlético de Madrid with Diego Pablo Simeone .
Despite the fact that the red-and-white club was very interested, Mikel Merino did not see his signing clearly. As a result, Atlético de Madrid and Diego Pablo Simeone are left without a highly-valued player. Thus, Mikel Arteta takes on his main objective for the midfield, a delicate position.
Real Sociedad already have a full agreement with Arsenal, beating Atlético de Madrid
As expected, the Gunners have managed to reach an agreement with the Reale Arena club. As Mundo Deportivo points out, Mikel Merino 's transfer will be closed for around 33.5 million euros. A figure that is not insignificant, considering that his contract ends next year.
The fact that the new Euro champion ended his contract extension with Real Sociedad in 2025 has been key. He did not want to renew his contract with the San Sebastián team, and this made clubs like Atlético de Madrid take notice of him. However, he had the dream of returning to the Premier League and he has achieved it.
Atlético de Madrid and Diego Pablo Simeone are waiting to finalize their squad
With the midfield deal now closed, it's time to tackle another key issue: defence. Robin Le Normand isn't the only one who will reinforce Atlético Madrid's centre of defence. Diego Pablo Simeone 's men want more, and the chosen one is Feyenoord 's David Hancko .
Since the beginning of the summer, the Slovakian defender has been in the sights of Atlético de Madrid , who must improve. Not in vain, the duel against Villarreal showed that there are still deficiencies in the red-and-white defence. That is why Diego Pablo Simeone 's men are working hard to close this transfer as soon as possible.
If they succeed, they will have secured the services of a player with great potential. In addition, David Hancko will give a great leap forward in quality to an Atlético de Madrid that must reduce the number of goals conceded by any means possible. Only then will Diego Pablo Simeone 's team be able to compete again with the best in Europe.