Atletico Madrid are stepping up the pace on the transfer market again: The deal with European champion Robin Le Normand, which had already been agreed, became official on Saturday – and a successor to Morata has also been landed
Atletico made the deal official last Saturday, but details still had to be clarified. As of this Saturday, however, Robin Le Normand is officially a player for the Rojiblancos. As Atletico announced, Le Normand has signed a five-year contract until June 30, 2029.
According to Spanish media reports, he will receive a base fee of 34.5 million euros, which could rise to almost 40 million euros due to bonuses. Le Normand had actually been under contract with Real Sociedad until June 30, 2026.
The 17-time Spanish senior international had not only impressed in the Basque Country: At the European Championships in Germany, Le Normand was in the starting eleven of the eventual champions in five of the seven matches. In the final against England (2:1), Le Normand played 83 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Nacho
In the summer of 2016, Le Normand moved from Stade Brest to Real Sociedad, for whom he has since appeared in 167 La Liga matches (four goals). In the 2023/24 La Liga season, Le Normand made 29 appearances for the Basques, scoring two goals but also picking up 13 yellow cards. In comparison: in the two seasons before that, he only received a total of twelve.
In Madrid, he is expected to help stabilize a defence that has recently been much more vulnerable (43 goals conceded – champions Real only conceded 26). Le Normand is the first major transfer of the summer for Atletico, who lost three central defenders this summer in Caglar Söyüncü (Fenerbahce), Stefan Savic (Trabzonspor) and Gabriel Paulista (Besiktas)
Sörloth for medical check in Madrid
The second followed early on Saturday evening: following the rejection of Girona goalkeeper Artem Dovbyk, who had opted for a move to Roma, a replacement for Alvaro Morata, who had left for AC Milan, had long been in sight. As Spanish media had initially reported, former Leipzig player Alexander Sörloth was already in the capital to complete his medical check. And so it was: after scoring 23 La Liga goals for Villarreal in the previous season, the Norwegian had decided to join Atleti.
