Matteo Moretto Transfer Column: Atletico Madrid situation, Mikel Merino and Leny Yoro | OneFootball

Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest deals dominating the papers in Spain, as revealed in Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing.

Atletico Madrid open to offers for anyone, seriously considering Barcelona target

At Atletico Madrid, there are a lot of names coming out, and a lot of things are being discussed. The signing that is closest, there are still details to be finalised between the clubs, is that of Robin Le Normand. It’s a signing that is a long way down the road, I’m told it’s a question of time, but we have define exactly what that means. Atletico are in a hurry to sign him, and are working hard to reach the final agreement, and I think next week we could have important updates, at least that’s the club’s plan.

Regarding Mikel Merino, Atletico are paying very close attention to his situation now that they know he will not renew with Real Sociedad. He is a player that they have been monitoring for some time, there are no contacts between the clubs currently, but I believe there will be, as he is a player Atletico like a lot, and Diego Simeone likes him a lot.

There will have to be a mini-revolution at Atletico Madrid, because they have to sign, but they will also have to sell, and someone will leave. I’m not sure that Alvaro Morata will stay, as there are still issues to be clarified, and I know there is a chance he leaves.

Regarding Roro Riquelme and Samu Omorodion, both of them want to succeed at Atletico Madrid. Atletico are open to listen to offers for Riquelme, but they are open to offers for all of their players – if an offer arrives that is big enough, they will have to listen to it. I know that they think he has a value of €30m or maybe a bit more.

Roma manager Daniele de Rossi has been following Riquelme, but Roma do not have the financial muscle to make that deal happen currently, so there is nothing advanced.

Real Madrid decision will define Leny Yoro future

The thing with Yoro is as I have always said: it’s true that Leny Yoro’s priority is Real Madrid, but the ball is in Real Madrid’s court. If Real Madrid are willing to make an economic effort to sign him, then they can continue in that position – as favourites for him.

If that is not the case, because they do not want to pay more than a certain quantity, and they know he is out of contract in a year and they do not want to throw the kitchen sink out the window to sign him, then there are other clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and in the Premier League that are waiting to pounce.

Much of it depends on what Real Madrid want to spend. There is no open conversation between clubs, but Real know that Lille do not want to go below €50m, and it hinges on what Real Madrid want to spend. There are teams that, as things stand, will pay more, so we will see.

Barcelona evaluating pivot options amid recent silence

Barcelona are doing internal evaluations currently to decide who to go for or not. They still have to decide who is staying and who is going too. So they are going through that process, and I think it’s important, because they are trying to cover themselves [for all eventualities].

Regarding Merino, I reported in March that he was in negotiations, and he could be a topic for the summer, and Atletico were taking into consideration his position, and now that Real Sociedad are very pessimistic about his renewal, Atletico will seriously consider going for him.