Madrid (EFE).- Atlético de Madrid completed this Monday the signing of Javi Galán, left back from Celta de Vigo, after passing the pertinent medical examination, the formalization of his contract for three seasons, until June 30, 2026, and the official announcement of his new club.
“Javi Galán stands out for his great offensive projection, for his arrivals to the bottom line and his crosses into the area,” the entity highlighted in a statement published at 5:00 p.m. through its official media.
It is the third addition to Diego Simeone’s twelfth project at the helm of the rojiblanco team, after the center-backs Caglar Soyuncu, a free Turkish international from Leicester due to the end of his contract, and Santiago Mouriño, a Uruguayan defender from Racing Montevideo and whose tenure at the template will be determined by the preseason.
César Azpilicueta, Chelsea’s right and center back for the last eleven seasons, will be the next to arrive at the rojiblanco team, which is negotiating his signing to complete the defence.
priority list
As soon as this reinforcement is resolved, he will only have one midfielder left on his list of priorities in the summer market, waiting for more events, if any, in the form of departures, which would be replaced.
Also from Atlético, decided this summer to sign him. In a weeks-long negotiation, led by Carlos Mouriño, for Celta, and Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, for Atlético, the two managers of both clubs, the rojiblanco team completed its objective of covering the left back, uncertain as it was due to various situations in that position.
Apart from the foreseeable departure of Sergio Reguilón, who returns to Tottenham after an unsuccessful loan, with little prominence (he has played only 12 duels with Simeone, only two, the last two, as a starter), Reinildo Mandava is out of action at least until October, due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered on February 25 in the derby against Real Madrid.
The future of Yannick Carrasco
The future of Yannick Carrasco, the typical player for the left lane in Simeone’s scheme, is not clear either. The Argentine coach wants him in his twelfth project. It’s important to him. Barcelona is interested in him, although the deadline to exercise the preferential purchase option of 19 million that he had had since January (it ended on June 30) has already passed. At the moment, he has not renewed and his contract ends in 2024.
The rojiblanco club does without full-back Manu Sánchez, on loan for the last three years to Osasuna and now heading to Balaídos to lower the cost of Galán’s transfer to the Madrid club. Atlético, in any case, has not yet made that transfer official within the statement in which it announced the incorporation of Galán.
Another left-back will also appear on the payroll at Atlético: Renan Lodi, with no apparent place in the squad on his return from a one-year loan at Nottingham Forest and awaiting destination.
Apart from Reguilón, the right-back Matt Doherty has already left, due to the end of his contract after arriving last winter market and with hardly any minutes under the orders of Diego Simeone, and the midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, transferred to Olympique de Marseille after three years in the club.