Matteo Moretto Transfer Column: Lamine Yamal, Frenkie de Jong and Atletico Madrid summer

Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest offers dominating the newspapers in Spain, as revealed in Daily Briefing by Fabrizio Romano

Atletico Madrid strengthened where they wanted this summer, but not everyone was their main target

Atletico Madrid spent a lot this summer, and in 2019 alone they put more money into signings in their history, with their totals amounting to 185 million euros before counting add-ons. They were able to address all the key needs they had identified, even if not all of their signings were their top choices in those positions.

Perhaps the highest case is that of David Hancko, who was his main target to strengthen the defense. I could say that Hancko was the number one objective, but the economic distance with Feyenoord meant that the negotiations were blocked until the end. Alternatively, Atletico Madrid have also explored other profiles such as Aymeric Laporte who plays in Saudi Arabia, and Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie. Without going off on a tangent though, the loan deal for Clement Lenglet from Barcelona was the quickest and simplest solution to cover the midfield area.

In the center of the field, Conor Gallagher was his main target, and if it was not possible, then Javi Guerra from Valencia would have arrived, as we reported. Those were the two alternatives.

The situation of the contract of Lamine Yamal explained with the current agreement in 2026

Lamine Yamal has agreed to his latest contract with an option for two more years. The maximum you can sign under the age of 18 is for three years, and his current deal ends in 2026, but this option means that Barcelona still have the security of their position with him.

Clearly though, Barcelona wants to extend the deal even further in the future, and tie him to the club long-term. He could be the face of their project now and in the coming years, and so they want to make sure that he is completely satisfied with the contract and with regard to his relationship with the club. So that's where we are currently.

Frenkie de Jong's contract talks with Barcelona still silent

More generally, it is more a time for contract discussions than transfers currently, and this is the case at Barcelona. They reached an agreement with Fermin Lopez to renew his contract for the next five years. However, the deal will not be made official until the club has reached the 1:1 spending rule in La Liga, and is back within its salary cap, so other things will have to fall through first.

Also regarding Pedri and Gavi, discussions are already open and the parties know of course that they want to reach an agreement sooner or later. Less certain is the situation of Frenkie de Jong's contract. The Dutchman gave a interview saying that he is not even close to earning the 37 million euros this year that has been mentioned in the media, but there is no word on his next contract. He had a renewal offer from Barcelona on the table for months, in which he would have a lower salary than now, although it is not a low salary – the Dutchman has not yet responded.