Simeone wants to sign Barcelona icon in January to reinforce Atletico Madrid’s ailing defence | OneFootball

Conceding eight goals in eight games in La Liga and the Champions League, Atletico Madrid have been porous at the back this season.

While the club are known to have been one of the best defensive teams in Europe under the tutelage of Diego Simeone over the years, the same cannot be said for this current side.

Keeping that in mind, the side from the Spanish capital are tempted to take an unorthodox route to solve their ongoing issues. Hence, Atletico Madrid are preparing to make an audacious attempt to sign Gerard Pique in January, as relayed by SPORT.

The World Cup winner has been Barcelona’s fifth-choice defender this term, playing a mere 90 and 45 minutes each in the league and Europe’s elite competition respectively.

Simeone, however, has no doubts over the quality possessed by the 35-year-old and is keen on his signing, especially after being dissatisfied with the displays put in by Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic and Felipe, while being aware of Jose Gimenez’s unreliable injury record.

The Argentine coach is believed to be eyeing the presence of a centre-half that can inject leadership to the side and help the club return to the time when they were impregnable at the back.

With both Barcelona and Atleti currently trying to find an agreement over a lower fee for Antoine Griezmann’s eventual permanent move to the Wanda Metropolitano, Simeone aims to also finalise a deal for Pique during the ongoing negotiations.

As for Pique, he could consider a move to Atletico, given his current standing within Xavi’s Barcelona. Los Colchoneros will hope that in the event that the Barcelona icon joins the club, he has a similar impact to Luis Suarez during the 2020/2021 season.