The Godín crisis will have a happy ending for Atleti, with the Uruguayan central defender poised to extend his contract at the Madrid club. As this newspaper revealed this morning, Manchester City were determined to land the player and were willing to pay the 40 million buy-out clause.
Godín was aware of the plan and told Atlético. City were willing to pay the defender five million euros a season.
In principle Gil Marín wasn’t been willing to raise Godín’s salary, but faced with the real possibility of him leaving the club the coaching staff became concerned during the trip to Japan and China. Some of the squad members even phoned the player, who was training near Madrid, to try and ensure he didn’t do anything rash.
Once Atleti’s first team were back from China the situation was resolved, with talks between the player, Atleti president Cerezo and Atleti coach Simeone, who met for lunch yesterday. The end result: a new contract for the player, who will remain in red and white.
Both sides have compromised to reach a final agreement. Godín has renounced the juicy salary City were offering, because he feels like a fundamental part of the project at Atleti and loves living in the Spanish capital. While it may not reach the amounts City had put on the table, Atleti have made an economic effort to keep the player.