Atletico Madrid and star midfielder Rodrigo de Paul find themselves at an awkward point in the road. Los Colchoneros are willing to sell the Argentina international, but he seems far less convinced by the idea.
De Paul has been a marmite figure at the Metropolitano over the seasons, struggling at times for his best form, and questioned for his work-rate. However over the last 18 months, de Paul has arguably been Atletico’s best midfielder, and if they were in the running for the title in April, he was a major reason for it.
With just a year remaining on his contract though, Atletico are open to cashing in on de Paul say Diario AS, who turns 31 this week. His contract talks have hit a dead end, and there is no sign of a renewal occurring any time soon. West Ham United made an approach during January, which was knocked back, but he still has plenty of admirers in Serie A. They would demand around €30m for him.
De Paul has little intention of accepting an offer though. He is content and settled in the Spanish capital, and happy with his role in the team, where he is a dressing room leader. He termed it a ‘mistake’ to join West Ham in January, and has described Atletico as a ‘club I love with values I share’ in recent months, signs of his content.
🚨🇪🇸 JUST IN: Koke REJECTED a very ‘generous’ financial offer from Turkey.
The player didn’t take long to turn down the three-year offer.
[🥇: @rubenuria via @RubenLedesma_9]
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) May 21, 2025
Although Pablo Barrios has become a regular, Atletico are in the midst of difficult generational turnover. Captain Koke Resurreccion has already dropped out of the starting line-up, but it is not yet clear how long de Paul has at the top of his game. One of their primary targets for this summer is a holding midfielder, with Johnny Cardoso supposedly at the top of their transfer list.
