There’s no doubt that Real Madrid are still the biggest club in the city, but the excellent work from Diego Simeone over the years means Atletico are able to make this a proper rivalry again.
There has been the occasional instance where players are transferred between the sides, but it tends to be the case that they need to play elsewhere for a year before joining the rival.
Real Madrid need to find the long-term successor to Sergio Ramos this summer after it became clear that he would be moving on, and a report from El Gol Digital has indicated that Atleti defender Jose Maria Gimenez is their main target.
It’s not going to be a cheap operation as Atleti will be looking for over €100m to sell to Real, but it’s suggested that the potential fee is seen as affordable by those behind the scenes at the Bernabeu.
Ultimately it’s never going to be paid in one lump so Real are hopeful of setting up a series of installments and incentives to meet the asking price, while it’s also thought that the player would be interested.
The problem with this won’t be convincing Gimenez to move but actually coming up with an offer that Atleti are willing to accept, but it sounds like there’s a confidence that this could happen.