Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Barcelona captain Gerard Pique next summer.
According to SPORT, the out-of-favor Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is a target for Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window.
The 35-year-old is presently Barcelona’s fifth-choice central defender behind Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, and Andreas Christensen this season after entirely losing favor under Xavi Hernandez.
There have been rumors that Pique and Xavi, the Barcelona captain, do not get along. Atletico Madrid wants to take advantage of this by swooping in to get Pique in the January transfer window.
According to the source, Jose Maria Gimenez’s injury problems make him a liability, and Rojiblancos manager Diego Simeone is dissatisfied with the performances of his center backs Felipe, Mario Hermoso, and Stefan Savic.
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He therefore wants an experienced individual to come in January and aid in stabilizing the defense. And the Colchoneros believe Pique to be a target. According to rumors, the veteran from Barcelona can fill the void left by Diego Godin at the Metropolitano.
Atletico Madrid sees it as an attempt to reduce Antoine Griezmann’s asking price at the same time.
They are hesitant to shell out the €40 million required to sign him on a long-term basis and feel that by signing Pique, they can accomplish two goals at once by strengthening their defense and possibly negotiating a lower price for Griezmann.
Pique has only participated in two games so far this year, totaling just 135 minutes of playing time. Araujo and Kounde’s recent injuries may have created openings for him before a heavy schedule.
It will be interesting to observe how Barcelona handles the matter now that Atletico Madrid has entered the race to sign him, especially in light of the significant amount of deferred salary payment due to the seasoned defender.
