Atletico Madrid want to secure permanent exit of €70m outcast

Atletico Madrid are expecting to be busy this summer, and one of the primary objectives is to finally get Thomas Lemar off the books.

Lemar joined Atleti from AS Monaco back in the summer of 2018 for a fee in the region of €72m, and while he showed early promise upon his arrival in the Spanish capital, it is safe to say that his time at the club has been rather disastrous. He has been out of favour for some time now, but moving him on has proven difficult for Los Colchoneros’ sporting department.

Lemar’s big wages have hamstrung Atleti in their efforts to improve their financial situation, which is why there is such a desire for a sale to take place. However, they are prepared to settle for loan this summer, which they hope will aid the French midfielder in finding a new club, as per Marca.

This method, which would see Atleti pay a significant portion of Lemar’s wages, was used last summer with Saul Niguez, who was another that the club were desperate to get rid of in order to stop paying his excessive wages. The Spaniard has found a new home at Sevilla, where he is expected to remain on a permanent basis – although for now, he is still contracted to the Madrid side.

Atleti will hope that releasing some of Lemar’s wages in the summer will allow multiple new signings to arrive. They are planning to bring in a central midfielder, while there are also ambitions for a centre-back and left midfielder to be added to Diego Simeone’s squad before the start of next season.

It remains to be seen where Lemar ends up, if he does indeed move on from Atletico Madrid. He will also fancy revitalising his career after a tough few seasons.