Like his former teammate Rodrigo De Paul, Nahuel Molina is headed to Atletico Madrid. After a long negotiation, which seemed on the verge of collapsing at some point, the clubs have come to terms for a package that includes Nehuen Perez, Spanish publication Relevo reports (via SportMediaset).
The defender will return to Friuli following a loan spell. The Bianconeri had activated an option to keep him for one further campaign, but the Colchoneros countered with a clause and brought him back. After some friction, the parties smoothed things over and struck a deal.
Nahuel Molina will be unveiled as new Atletico Madrid player in the next days, full agreement in place with Udinese and paperworks being prepared – here we go confirmed. ⚪️??? #Atleti
Nehuen Pérez will be included in the deal as he's now joining Udinese. pic.twitter.com/nrUOWjCGkv
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2022
Molina will join Atletico Madrid for €15/20M plus the center-back. The two teams are finalizing the valuations of the players. Juventus kept tabs on him in the last few weeks. However, he had fallen to the background during the Matthijs De Ligt and Bremer sagas.
The 24-year-old moved to Serie A two years ago on a free transfer from Boca Juniors. He quickly found his footing and became a force down the right flank. He has logged 10 goals and 10 assists in 68 appearances with the Friulani. The dynamic wing-back hit the net seven times in the most recent campaign. Udinese will replace him with Brandon Soppy and newcomer Festy Ebosele.
Our Take on Molina Transferring to Atletico Madrid
It is a tough blow to see another budding star leave Italy, but it is a fantastic landing spot for the youngster, whose stamina, grit, and skill-set perfectly suit the Rojiblancos. Juventus probably would have targeted him later on, but they needed to find a solution for Juan Cuadrado first, otherwise they would have had a logjam in the role. They would have had some youngsters to toss in the deal too, although not of Perez’s quality.