Actually, it could hardly have been better for Axel Witsel after leaving BVB. The Belgian agreed to work with Atlético Madrid, moving from one prestigious club to the next. But now there is a serious problem: the Madrilenians cannot sign the midfielder at all.
Because Atlético Madrid’s current salary payments far exceed the limit set by the league, the Madrilenians are currently not allowed to sign any new players. This is reported by the Spanish radio station “COPE“.
Means for Witsel: Although he has agreed to work with Atlético, he is currently without a club.
The sum that is in the room is enormous. Word is that Atlético will have to save a whopping €100m in wages in order to register Witsel for the new season.
FC Barcelona, for example, have a similar problem and for the same reason have to wait before signing Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessié.
Does ex-BVB professional Witsel have to look for a new club?
Part of Atlético’s preferred solution is the separation of Antoine Griezmann, who alone collects 33 million euros per season. But there is an insurmountable hurdle here: the Frenchman is only on loan from FC Barcelona for two years. If he makes more than 50 percent of all games, a purchase obligation applies.
And since Griezmann made 70 percent of the games in his first season, the league already calculates the said 33 million euros, although on paper he still belongs to FC Barcelona. Atlético is therefore aiming for an early Griezmann return to the Catalans, but according to “COPE” this is unlikely.
Atlético Madrid must therefore find another solution to make room for Axel Witsel. If that doesn’t succeed, the change that was believed to be safe could still burst – and the former BVB professional could end up at another club.
