Correa's farewell interruptus and Baena's longing: the busy summer expected at the Metropolitano

Ángel Correa couldn't hold back his tears in his "last home game with this shirt that I love so much," he wrote on social media. Two of the captains, Koke and Giménez , accompanied the Argentine during the final part of the match, which he performed wearing a commemorative jersey given by his teammates after the victory against Betis. Correa also scored the final goal of the match.

The red-and-white player wanted to end his ten-year career with Atlético, 448 official matches and 85 goals. But the club's management expressed surprise at the attitude of a player whose contract runs until 2026. "No club has contacted our club to begin negotiations for a possible transfer of our striker, nor has his representative made us any offer," they wrote in a statement.

Correa , the squad's 18th-most-played player with 1,339 minutes, was one of the names supposedly set to leave the club at the end of the season. His destination: Tigres in the Mexican League, but Atlético de Madrid aren't going to give him away. Axel Witsel , a player who also came off in the final minutes of the Metropolitano match in a substitution that seemed like a farewell, was another. Other candidates to leave the red and white squad are Nahuel Molina , who has played less than in other seasons, and Lemar and Riquelme , who have hardly appeared at all.

It remains to be seen what will happen to Reinildo , whose contract was due to expire on June 30th this season but was extended so he could play in the Club World Cup, and what the club will do with loan players Lenglet and Musso . The Frenchman's performance when he first started could motivate the club to negotiate a possible transfer with Barcelona. Furthermore, Saúl will return from his loan spell in Seville, and a decision will also have to be made about his high salary.

One who was highly likely to leave the club last summer, at least on loan, was Simeone 's son, but Cholito has become an essential player alongside Barrios, Llorente and, of course, Julián Álvarez . The obsession of Carlos Bucero , director of Atletico football, is to support the Argentine striker well next year, given that, even if Griezmann stays, as he has stated, it seems that his role in the squad will decrease, as has happened to Koke this year.

The club hopes to reduce its wage bill by around 55 million with the departures and renegotiations of contracts such as those of Saúl , Griezmann , Koke and Giménez in order to try to undertake another renewal of the squad at the level of last year when essential players arrived in Cholo 's system such as Julián and Le Normand and useful ones such as Gallagher .

There are several positions to strengthen for this summer transfer window, with two transfer windows following the extra time opened by the Club World Cup. Thus, a better partner for Julián Álvarez , the number five Simeone has been asking for for years, and perhaps another defender to improve the level of Cholo's core line will be the minimum the club will have to address. However, the departure of Witsel and perhaps also that of Azpilicueta will require two additions to the defense.

Baena, the desired one

Álex Baena 's name has been leaked around the club for several months now. The figure: €50 million, slightly less than his release clause. Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Nogueroles has responded to the rumors with ambiguous words: "Players are happy when they're at Villarreal and don't want to leave. If they want to leave, it's because they're going to improve financially or move on to top European projects."

The last five players linked with Atlético Madrid are Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso . The American footballer is 23 years old and could arrive due to Betis' need to make a sale to balance their books. However, the red-and-whites have to fight it out with Tottenham, who have a first option on a player with an Italian passport, so he wouldn't take up a non-EU player's spot.

Tottenham's favorite for Atlético's defensive line is playing. Argentine Cuti Romero is said to be receiving constant calls from Cholo , trying to convince him. But, as every year, the team is clear that to get in, you have to let out, and there are many candidates at the door. The goal: to continue getting closer to the transatlantic rivals Barça and Real Madrid.