Atlético: Simeone to renew until 2024 and has requested Lautaro
Atlético Madrid have reached an agreement with Simeone to extend his contract by two years. The coach has asked the club to sign Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martínez.
At some point over the next few days, Diego Pablo Simeone will sign a new contract with Atlético - one which will keep him at the club until 30 June 2024. El Cholo's current contract is due to expire in June 2022 but Miguel Ángel Gil has negotiated a two-year extension with Natalia Simeone, the Argentinean coach's sister and agent.
Focus on the title race
The new deal is in place with just a couple of minor flacks to be resolved before it can be signed. The intention was always to agree new terms with the coach as a demonstration of the faith the club has had in Simeone since he returned in December 2011. Previous extensions to the coach's contract were announced in March and April but this time, both decided to wait until the end of the season.
There was never any possibility of Atlético and Simeone breaking their alliance. Firstly because El Cholo hasn't received offers from other clubs and also because Miguel Ángel Gil has not considered changing the coach - not even a few months back when some had advised him that perhaps the coach's time at the club had come full circle.
Gil Marín has always been convinced that Simeone has more to give the club and was proved right when the coach delivered LaLiga after a stunning first half of the season in which the team picked up 50 points. Much of that was down to El Cholo's tactical manoeuvring and changing the system which even benefitted Koke, as the Atlético captain recently during a press conference.
Simeone brings the kind of stability to Atlético that both Real Madrid and Barça can only dream about at the moment. Atlético know how their coach will be next season and who is the team's leader. Simeone's presence means there is one less things to worry about for Atlético.
The pandemic has affected every club's economic situation and Atlético are no exception. But the club still plans to reinforce every line of the team, either by buying new players or bringing others in on loan. Simeone has requested that the club signs Lautaro Martínez. Atleti will try to their best to fulfill the petition but it will be a difficult operation because Inter Milan are asking 70 million euros for the Argentine forward.