Atletico targets Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado once again
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Atletico Madrid sporting director Mateu Alemany remains keen on 22-year-old Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado.
Details: According to Mubdo Deportivo, Atletico sees Marc Casado as a possible replacement for Conor Gallagher, who has moved to Tottenham. Other options include Joao Gomes (Wolverhampton) and Ederson (Atalanta), whose transfer values are higher than Casado's. There has been no official offer for the La Masia product yet, but both the club and Casado's agent Jorge Mendes are aware of Atletico's interest.
Initially, Casado wanted to finish the season at Barcelona, the club of his life, and was mainly considering options abroad if he decided to leave. However, the Catalan is now open to the idea of joining Atletico and is waiting to see how the situation unfolds in the final days of the winter transfer window.
Recall that last summer Simeone was already interested in signing Casado, but he chose to stay at Barcelona at that time.
It is also reported that, besides Atletico, Manchester United and Wolverhampton are monitoring Casado. Manchester United has already shown some activity, while Wolverhampton, managed by Mendes, keeps the Catalan on their shortlist to strengthen the midfield. This season, Casado has played 19 matches, providing one assist—coming in a La Liga match against Valencia. Transfermarkt values him at €25 million.
For the record: Barcelona became only the second team in Europe's top five leagues to hit the woodwork five times and still lose the match.