Official: Rodrigo De Paul announced as an Atletico Madrid player

Atletico Madrid have officially announced the signing of Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese on a permanent transfer. The player has signed a five-year contract with the Rojiblancos that will keep him at the Wanda Metropolitano until 2026. 

He lifted the Copa America trophy with Argentina, and will now link up with fellow Argentinian Diego Simeone at Madrid. The head coach himself recently signed a new deal with Atleti, and will be hoping to replicate the success they achieved in 20/21 this time around as well. 

The two clubs have had an agreement between themselves for a while, since Atelti’s pursuit of the player has been for a while now. They will pay Udinese €35 million for their captain, and have fended off a lot of competition from the likes of Liverpool to sign the player. 

De Paul was the man of the match against Brazil in the finals. He enjoyed a great tournament for Argentina in Copa America and started five of their seven matches, scoring one goal and providing one assist. The midfielder is expected to be the replacement for Saul Niguez, who is expected to be on his way out of the club this summer. 

The Argentinian has experience in Spain, previously featuring for Valencia before moving to Udinese 2016. This is Udinese’s most expensive sale, and they have received a decent price for their man, with add-ons potentially driving the fee up further.