Atletico Madrid Sporting Director Mateu Alemany is already busying himself with transfer activity ahead of time. It is predicted to be a busy transfer window at the Metropolitano, with Alemany in charge for the summer break for the first time.
Alemany was already active in January, sanctioning four exits to the tune of about €60m, and bringing in Ademola Lookman, Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas for the same expenditure. Already he has started work on two of their summer targets. With Antoine Griezmann confirming that he would be leaving Los Colchoneros in the summer, it seems Kang-In Lee is the priority target to replace him.
Los Rojiblancos attempted to bring in Kang-In during the January window, but were rebuffed by Paris Saint-Germain, and the same was the case for Atalanta midfielder Ederson dos Santos. Marca report that Alemany was in Italy last week to meet with Atalanta President Antonio Percassi to negotiate the signing of Ederson.
‼️ Johnny Cardoso is set to arrive in Madrid today and undergo medical tests to see the extent of his discomfort.@mundodeportivo
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 31, 2026
Atletico have made their terms clear – their offer is for €35m plus €5m in variables, while the Italian side are demanding €50m for the Brazilian. His contract is up in 2027, which is one of the factors Atletico believe they can bring the price down. His salary is likely to be between €4-5m per year.
One of the factors that could drive the price up is the interest of Premier League clubs. Arsenal have supposedly shown interest in him, and as a result, Alemany is hoping to wrap up the deal well in advance of the summer window in order to avoid battling with English teams.
Ederson would likely be competing with Johnny Cardoso for his spot in the side. The USMNT midfielder has asserted himself in 2026 alongside Koke Resurreccion, following injuries to Pablo Barrios. The latter is due to be a long-term mainstay in Diego Simeone’s midfield though, and he generally operates with a central pairing rather than a trio.
