Atletico Madrid to give up on deal for talented defender | OneFootball

Since arriving in Girona, Miguel Gutierrez has been on an impressive upward trajectory. The former Real Madrid left-back was initially a rotational option before a €5m move made his stay permanent. Last year he was one of the revelations of the season, and this year he has been a leader for the Catalan side in the Champions League, and latterly, their battle for survival.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich amongst others have all been linked with Gutierrez over the past two seasons, but so far he remains at Montilivi. Their chances of holding onto Gutierrez look increasingly slim this year though, after a summer of speculation.

Atletico Madrid decide against move for Miguel Gutierrez

Image via Defensa Central

Atletico Madrid were rumoured to have agreed a deal for Gutierrez at the beginning of the month, but that has been denied by Relevo. They say that Atletico did enquire about Gutierrez, and he was on their left-back shortlist, but after enquiring about the price, both sides decided a deal could not be reached.

Gutierrez, whom Real Madrid retain a 50% sell-on clause for, has a €35m release clause, but will be allowed to leave for around €20m. Los Blancos have a first refusal for 48 hours too, but despite plenty of interest in Portugal, England, Italy and Germany, there have been no offers yet.

Alvaro Carreras, Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso

There is of course the much-discussed €9m buyback for Gutierrez too, possessed by Real Madrid. In Germany, one of his suitors was Bayer Leverkusen, and with Xabi Alonso potentially arriving at Real Madrid, it remains to be seen whether he will ask Los Blancos to execute that option. At any rate, they have intensified their scouting efforts with regard to Gutierrez, who is keen on a return to his boyhood club.

At the White House, the name of Benfica left-back Alvaro Carreras has been mentioned on several occasions too. Interestingly, he does still appear to be on the agenda for Atletico, despite likely commanding a much higher price. Carreras’ performances in the Champions League have certainly spiked interest.