Atletico Madrid reach agreement for second defender as deal with Chelsea advances in €70m splurge | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid are set to continue their free-spending summer, with more additions in defence to bolster their ranks. Negotiations with Chelsea for Renato Veiga were revealed over the weekend, but now they are moving for former target David Hancko.

Veiga, 21, has given the green light to a move to Atletico, with the versatile Portuguese defender seen as an addition with plenty of potential. ESPN say that Chelsea and Atletico will meet in the coming hours to try and finalise a deal. The main difference is the €40-45m demands that Chelsea have set, while Atletico are not looking to break the €40m mark. Good relations between the two are expected to see the deal through to completion.

David Hancko move to Al-Nassr collapses

Another of the defensive targets that has been on Atletico’s radar since January of 2024 is Feyenoord and Slovakia defender David Hancko. He was all set to complete a €35m move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. In a bizarre turn of events though, Hancko was refused entry to their training camp in Austria, where Al-Nassr made it clear he was no longer welcome.

David Hancko celebrates a goal for Feyenoord (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Atletico reach agreement for Hancko

As news of Hancko’s collapsed move spread, Atletico began to move themselves. Reports emerged early on Tuesday that Atletico were working on a deal for Hancko, first reported by ADN. Now Italian journalist Luca Bendoni is reporting that a rough deal has been struck between Atletico and Feyenoord, with a €32m fee and an extra €3m in variables.

The formalities of the agreement are being finalised, but it is expected to be completed. Hancko has already agreed personal terms with Atletico –  a move was on the verge of being done last summer, but a €5m difference between the clubs got in the way of an agreement. Should Atletico complete the deal, it would take their total spend to €150m this summer, before taking into account variables or the Veiga deal.