Atletico Madrid fail in last-gasp effort to sign defender wanted by AC Milan | OneFootball

With a deal looking increasingly unlikely for David Hancko, Atletico Madrid have reportedly established a new three-man shortlist for their vacant left-sided centre-back position. One of the names on that list is Strahinja Pavlovic, who currently plays for Austrian heavyweights RB Salzburg.

AC Milan have been the favourites to sign Pavlovic over the last week or two, but Atleti have made a late move. Unfortunately for Diego Simeone and sporting director Andrea Berta, they have been rejected by the the Serbian international, as reported by Di Marzio.

While it is an exciting time for Atleti supporters, with Robin Le Normand set to join and Artem Dovbyk likely to follow in the next week or so, there is sure to be serious concern about his left-sided centre-back position, which had been held by Mario Hermoso.

Atletico Madrid must now decide whether to explore another of their targets, or improve their offer for Hancko. They need to figure things out fast, with less than four weeks to go until the start of the new season.