With Atletico Madrid having concluded their schedule for 2014, the Spanish champions will undoubtedly be eyeing the January transfer window as an opportune time to bolster their squad ahead of what looks set to be another pair of deep runs in La Liga and the Champions League this season.
Just four points back from league-leading Real Madrid in Spain, Diego Simeone‘s men are within striking distance provided they don’t waste any time in the defence of their league title. Also drawn favourably with Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 in the Champions League, the capital club is again a dark horse to upset some of Europe’s heavyweights in the knockout phase of the continental competition, but they may need to reinforce the squad to do so.
But how can Atletico add to their squad without spending a fortune in January?
Let’s have a look at some options for Simeone that could strengthen Los Colchoneros‘ quest for more titles in 2014-15.
Zakaria Bakkali
Atletico Madrid were widely expected to sign Zakaria Bakkali from PSV Eindhoven last summer, but the deal fell through when the player couldn’t agree to terms with the Spanish champions.
According to RTBF (h/t Inside Spanish Football), Atleti will finally land his signature this January with the Eredivise club ready to get what they can for a player who has refused to extend his contract beyond next summer.
At just 18 years of age, Bakkali has already represented Belgium at international level and is the sort of fleet-footed forward who could give extra punch to Diego Simeone‘s attack.
Comfortable with both feet and on either wing, the PSV player would complement the strength of physical forwards such Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia already residing at the Vicente Calderon.
And valued at just £2.2 million by Transfermarkt while on a deal that ends in June, the Belgian shouldn’t be too expensive for the Spanish champions this January.
Based on what we’ve seen from Fernando Torres in recent years, many may question why the addition of the Spaniard could be considered a positive move for Simeone and Atletico Madrid.
After switching from Liverpool to Chelsea, Torres endured a horrid run and now finds himself on loan at AC Milan—a place where he’s found it equally difficult.
But could a homecoming finally snap the former Liverpool star out of his malaise?
Possibly. And it might be worth a try.
Spanish outlet AS have reported that Atletico have identified Torres as a possible target in January, with the club weighing up a sale of the rarely-used summer signing Alessio Cerci to make room for the Spaniard.
Essentially, Atletico are looking for a player to fill the role performed by David Villa last season as a secondary striker. Valued at just £6.16 million by Transfermarkt, Torres could be that player (rather than burdened with the primary striker role) and Simeone might be able to completely neutralise the cost of bringing Torres to the Vicente Calderon by selling Cerci, who is a target of Inter Milan.
Better again, Atletico might even be able to land Torres for free, with the Mirror reporting that Chelsea are open to letting him walk at no cost if AC Milan cancel their loan of the Blues’ striker. Meanwhile, The Guardian has reported that Atletico and Milan could reach a temporary deal for the 30-year-old between themselves—something that Chelsea would only need to sanction.
Lukas Podolski
Starts have been few and far between for Lukas Podolski at Arsenal, who, despite being a fine goalscorer, can’t break into a forward setup containing Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and, at times, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
As such, AS, in the same report as above, have indicated that the German is another target for Atletico Madrid as the club hunts for options to bolster an attack that has looked somewhat laboured at various stages this season.
Still contracted for another 18 months, Podolski is currently valued at £17.6 million by Transfermarkt. But at 29 years of age and stuck on the outer of his current club, one feels that figure is higher than what Arsenal might accept for the forward they signed for £10.9 million in 2012.
Additionally, GianlucaDiMarzio.com (h/t Metro) has indicated that the Gunners might be interested in bringing Cerci to the Emirates Stadium, meaning both clubs could nullify the cost of their new acquisitions with the sale of the their incumbents.
Given that Podolski is a lethal finisher, he could be exactly the sort of secondary forward Simeone is looking to pair with Mandzukic.
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