A hectic 24 hours at the Atlético de Madrid offices: Almada, Cardoso, and new shareholders?

"The eagle has landed." With this message and a video simulating a moon landing, Atlético de Madrid announced the arrival of Johnny Cardoso . But the signing of the Betis midfielder was not a one-off event but the culmination of a frantic 24 hours in the offices of the red-and-white club, during which the arrival of Thiago Almada was also announced and, according to the newspaper Expansión , negotiations were underway to add an investment fund to the club's share portfolio.

The earlier-than-expected conclusion of the Club World Cup has forced the Red and White club to accelerate certain deals that have been simmering since the end of last season's La Liga season. The €23 million they received from the American tournament doesn't even cover half the cost of Álex Baena , the most coveted player to join the Red and Whites of the four new players who will play at the Metropolitano.

Ruggeri opened the cocktail, and then Baena joined, and in the last 24 hours: Almada and Cardoso . The Argentine playmaker arrives after an agreement with Botafogo, pending a medical, and the American midfielder with Real Betis. The former has been a market opportunity that comes to make up for the absence of Ángel Correa. The latter is the fulfillment of the request Simeone has been making to the club for years to bring a number five to the red-and-white team, especially if Rodrigo De Paul , as it seems, is no longer with the club.

These haven't exactly been cheap signings. In addition to Baena 's 50 million, there's also the Atalanta defender's 20 million, a similar amount for the majority stake in the rights to the World Cup winner with Argentina, and another 30 million for the Brazilian-born American midfielder, who already showed what he's capable of last season in La Liga. 120 million to hope to upset the two top contenders in the domestic competition and continue dreaming of the elusive Champions League.

Like all new signings to the red-and-white team, these players will sign five years to remain with the club. This is a guarantee, but also a financial burden if their performance prospects don't live up to expectations.

Transfers and sporting renewal aside, the red-and-white club has been immersed in a complete restructuring for some time now since Óscar Mayo 's arrival as general manager. The financial stability provided by the Champions League qualifications (including the Club World Cup) achieved under Simeone 's leadership has allowed the club to grow, stabilize its revenue (last season it reached 424 million euros), and make it more attractive to foreign capital.

New investments

In recent hours, the newspaper Expansión has reported on the interest of the American private equity firm Apollo in making a multi-million-dollar investment in the red-and-white club, which is valued at around €2.5 billion within the framework of the transaction.

Apparently, this fund is in talks with Miguel Ángel Gil Marín , owner of a significant stake in the entity, to enter the sports corporation not by buying shares but by increasing capital, as Ares Management did after the coronavirus.