With Caglar Soyuncu very close to signing for Fenerbahce on a loan deal until the end of the season, Atletico Madrid will be one centre-back short until the summer. It leaves Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic, Jose Luis Gimenez, Axel Witsel and Reinildo Mandava as options in the centre of the defence.
Despite having just four natural options (and Reinildo) to cover the three positions in central defence, Atleti bosses were comfortable with this, and their stance had been that no replacement for Soyuncu would arrive this month. Instead, moves for Horatiu Moldovan and Arthur Vermeeren were done, and they will soon be joined by Moise Kean.
However, Atleti have now gone back on their plans not to sign any defensive cover, so say Marca. Club bosses now want an addition centre-back to arrive before the window closes next week, although it can only be something that would arrive for very low cost.
One that fits this bill is Jose Luis Palomino, who is out of favour at Serie A side Atalanta, having only played 33 minutes this season. He will be allowed to leave this month, and Atleti are considering making a move to sign him – he would be very cheap as his contract expires in the summer.
Palomino would certainly be Atletico Madrid’s very last backup option, behind the likes of Savic and Witsel. He’s 34, and has barely played in the last couple of seasons. He would add good experience, so it could be a good piece if business, provided that the cost is extremely low.
More must-reads: