About Atletico de Madrid's search for a new striker

The difficulties involved in signing desired Croatian striker Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan) and his main alternative, Frenchman Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), have led the Atletico de Madrid board to consider other options to improve their attacking performance.

Among them, the name of Michy Batshuayi stands out. According to L'Equipe and reported by Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish team's director, Andrea Berta, has already contacted Chelsea to learn firsthand about the player's situation and assess the possibility of signing him.

Apparently, from that conversation, the executive drew a couple of conclusions. The first one is that the blues wouldn't mind loaning the attacker. And the second one is that his signing could be difficult due to the competition from Valencia and Sevilla, teams that have been working on his incorporation for weeks.

In fact, the same source adds that among the three Spanish teams, Valencia has the most chances of recruiting a player who already played on loan for Borussia Dortmund last season. If Batshuayi were to land in Mestalla, it would be as a loanee without a purchase option.