Atletico Madrid are said to be in the running to sign Gerard Pique from Barcelona, who is expected to leave Camp Nou in 2023.
Atlético Madrid reportedly emerged as suitors to sign in disgrace Barcelona central defender Gerard pricks.
The former Manchester United man was just a small player in the team under xavier this season, making just one La Liga appearance and another in the Champions League.
The arrivals of Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde pushed Pique down the pecking order, while Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo are also privileged in the heart of the defense.
Despite Barcelona’s defensive acquisitions over the summer, Pique reportedly wanted to stay and fight for his place at Camp Nou but he is currently losing this selection battle.
The 35-year-old’s contract in Catalonia still has just under two years to run, but he is expected to end his trophy-laden stint with Barcelona at the end of the season, and the club can supposedly cancel his existing contract. terms if he features in less than 35% of La Blaugrana’s games this term.
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According OK LogAtlético boss Diego Simeone is determined to secure a deal in January for Pique, who he believes would be a smart signing for the heart of his defence.
The report adds that Simeone remained dissatisfied with Mario Hermoso, Felipe and Stefan Savicthe performance of, while Jose GimenezThe injury toll of is worrying.
As a result, Pique would be tempted to end his time at Camp Nou and head to the Spanish capital, and his broken relationship with Xavi would now be beyond repair.
Pique played 44 minutes of his side’s first 5-1 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen but was later dropped to the bench for his side’s 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich.
The Spain international was reportedly heard complaining about his lack of minutes by Xavi after that game, to which the Barca boss replied: “And you’re going to play even less now.”
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Barcelona and Atletico are said to have a strong relationship due to previous transfer deals, although there have been tensions between the two clubs surrounding the Antoine Griezmann saga.
Atletico boss Simeone is largely refusing to give the 31-year-old more than 30 minutes in games this term due to a supposed clause in his loan deal as the Rojiblancos would automatically re-sign Griezmann for £35m if he plays 45 minutes in 50% of his team’s games.
However, Barcelona and Atletico are reportedly trying to find an amicable solution before the Blaugrana take the matter to court, and negotiations over a €25m (£22.3m) January deal sterling) would be in progress.
Pique’s name could therefore be mentioned in the winter negotiations, although the veteran centre-back could be offered more opportunities in the coming weeks following injuries to Araujo and Kounde.
Kounde suffered a blow while on international duty with France, and Araujo is sidelined for several weeks after Barcelona confirmed the Uruguay international would need surgery for a problem with the thigh.
