ATLETICO MADRID are likely to sign Rodrigo Moreno in the coming days, with conflict over the Spain international centre forward’s exit having already ruined the start of his current club Valencia’s La Liga campaign.
Atletico agreed a €60 million fee with Valencia and personal terms with Rodrigo, 28, before the Spanish season began two weeks ago. The transfer has not yet gone through however as the rojiblanco outfit first have to raise funds, and the proposed sale of Angel Correa to Milan has been deadlocked.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty over the future of maybe Valencia’s most important player has had a predictable impact on Valencia’s start to 2019/20. He was taken off during the opening day 1-1 draw at home to Real Sociedad, then a substitute in last weekend’s 0-1 defeat at Celta Vigo.
Marcelino Garcia Toral’s team ended last season on a high, having again claimed fourth in La Liga and then beaten Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, with Rodrigo scoring in their shock 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi and company.
But then came a summer dominated by internal rows over transfer matters, for example the sale of the team’s top scorer last season with 15 goals in 51 games across all competitions. One point from their first two La Liga games is now not a huge surprise, given how Rodrigo’s situation has dominated conversations around the club.
A news conference just two days before the season began saw sporting director Mateu Alemany face 11 questions – all of which were around whether Rodrigo would join Atletico, and what the transfer said about problems behind the scenes at Mestalla.
Alemany said that day that the clubs had agreed a deal, but Atletico had pulled out [as Correa had not yet joined Milan]. Although responsible in the main for the make-up of the squad, he explained that he was not personally involved in Rodrigo’s sale, which was being handled by the club’s “majority shareholder” [Peter Lim]. Asked specifically about the role of Rodrigo’s agent Jorge Mendes in what was going on, Alemany claimed to be unable to answer.
“I just focus on Valencia,” Alemany said. “People say ‘Jorge is involved in everything’. I do not know if Jorge is a partner of the owner. That has nothing to do with me. I cannot enlighten you on things that are outside my area of competence.”
The Balearic islander, a trained lawyer who is highly respected within Spanish football, was being diplomatic. Everyone knows that Mendes and Lim have often done business together, with the Portuguese super agent being instrumental in the Singapore magnate’s purchase of Valencia in 2014. Rodrigo has also been involved right from the start, as a Mendes-represented player, part-owned by Lim’s investment vehicle Meriton, who arrived at Mestalla even before the takeover was completed.
The influence of Mendes on events at Valencia has waxed and waned over the seasons, with Alemany’s appointment in March 2017 bringing a wider focus to the club’s transfer dealings. That helped bring more balance to a squad which has been La Liga’s ‘best of the rest’ in both the last two seasons, and won the club’s first trophy in a decade by shocking Barca last May.
That stability was rocked during the summer, when Alemany almost resigned in protest with Lim interfering again in transfer matters – including blocking the signing of midfielder Rafinha from Barcelona and potential sales of really promising youngsters Ferran Torres and Kang-in Lee. Assuming Rodrigo does now leave for Atletico, it will be very interesting to see how much of the €60m is invested in a replacement before Spain's transfer window shuts next Monday.
Jorge Mendes is working with Milan on the transfer of Andre Silva to Sporting Lisbon. No official offer yet but it would be worth around €30M. As soon as it’s closed, Milan will accelerate for Correa. The hope to convince Atletico with €40M offer [@tjcope] pic.twitter.com/UsTJxZCaWm
— Milan Eye (@MilanEye) August 24, 2019
It had looked as if Mendes had already answered that question, as his client Andre Silva was set up to leave Milan for Valencia. Correa was to be Silva’s replacement at San Siro, with Rodrigo completing the circle by joining Atletico. However, reports in Valencia say that Los Che coach Marcelino did not fancy a player who faded after a bright start on loan at Sevilla last season.
Meanwhile, Atletico coach Diego Simeone appears happy to have Rodrigo to compete with existing centre-forwards Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata. Although only one is likely to start regularly alongside already undroppable wonderkid Joao Felix in attack. The situation also raises doubts over the long-term future of Costa, 30, another Mendes client who has been sidelined recently with another injury. Whatever happens, Atletico are well set for the season, with two wins from two and optimism abounding at the Wanda Metropolitano.
