Atletico Madrid have been busy in the last couple of weeks, having agreed deals for three players to join Diego Simeone’s squad. Alex Baena and Johnny Cardoso will sign from Villarreal and Real Betis respectively, while Matteo Ruggeri will arrive from Atalanta to be the club’s new starting left-back.
A deal for Ruggeri was completed quickly, and he was not the first left-back that Atleti pursued. Theo Hernandez was sought, but eventually discarded, while Liverpool and Scotland player Andy Robertson was also a serious candidate to make the move to the RiyadhAir Metropolitano.
In the end, Robertson was also ruled out. And as per CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano has revealed why Atleti did not complete a deal for the 31-year-old.
“There was a possibility, a real possibility, for Andy Robertson to go to Atletico Madrid, but then Liverpool didn’t want the player to leave on a free transfer. He never gave any final green light to Atletico, to respect Liverpool.”
Atletico Madrid wanted to avoid fee in Andy Robertson deal
Atleti are planning to spend big this summer, with a move planned for Cristian Romero alongside those for Baena and Cardoso. As such, they wanted to save money in their pursuit of a new left-back, which is why there were keen to avoid paying a transfer fee to Liverpool.
Robertson would have been an excellent market opportunity had he been available on a free transfer, but it is understandable that Liverpool did not want to let him go without recouping some money.
It matters little in the grand scheme of things, and Atleti are hoping to finalise the arrival of Ruggeri when the summer transfer window opens on Tuesday. His signing is an exciting one for Los Colchoneros, as are the impending arrivals of Baena and Cardoso.
