Atletico Madrid pull off hijacking for defender despite Premier League deal

Atletico Madrid were convinced on Friday that former Osasuna right-back Jesus Areso would be their new right-back signing this week. In a late twist of events though, Los Rojiblancos have seen themselves miss out on Areso and bring in an alternative.

Areso had a deal with Atletico agreed, as did Osasuna, but after Athletic Club usurped them with their offer, Los Colchoneros were left with their plan in tatters. This also occurred after they opened the door to current right-back Nahuel Molina, who Areso was to replace, and is currently in talks with Juventus.

Atletico Madrid move to sign Marc Pubill

After interest from AC Milan and Wolves, a deal was in place for Pubill to go to Wolves in England. Pubill had also attracted interest from Atalanta and Barcelona over the past year, with a move to the former collapsing at the last minute last summer.

However in the space of a few hours, Marca explain that Atletico were able to convince both Almeria and Pubill with their proposal. Atletico Madrid have officially confirmed the signing of the 22-year-old Olympic gold medallist, and the above report explains that it will be a €16m deal with €4m in add-ons and a 15% sell-on fee for Almeria.

Marc Pubill’s strange rise to prominence

Pubill was highly rated at Levante before he even made his senior debut. Making a €5m move shortly after, Pubill did earn a starting spot quickly at Almeria, after joining the newly-promoted side in 2023. Despite his obvious promise, Almeria held onto Pubill last season in Segunda, amid frequent links to Barcelona, who was supposedly close to a deal last year with Pubill.

Strong, pacy and capable of getting up and down the pitch, Diego Simeone will have a younger alternative to Marcos Llorente, who aims to get the by-line in attack. A solid defensive prospect thus far, if he is able to begin muscling forwards out more often, he should fit right in.