As: Almada hopes to join Atletico Madrid, Benfica has basically withdrawn from the competition

"As" reported that Almada hopes to join Atletico Madrid, and Benfica has almost withdrawn from the competition.

Atletico Madrid regards Almada as Angel Correa's number one replacement. The 24-year-old attacker perfectly meets all requirements. His courage, dribbling, shooting, imagination and talent are the hallmarks of the 10th position of the Bedsheet Legion.

Almada shares agents with Correa and DePaul, the former has joined Tiger University, and the latter is getting closer to transfer to Miami International. If joining Atletico Madrid, Almada will form a trident with Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone, recreating the youth forward line created by the Argentina national team for the 2026 World Cup. The Botafogo player has played in 10 games for the Argentine adult national team and scored 4 goals, showing Scaloni's best form every time he appears. He started in the last four international games, cooperated with Alvarez and also provided assists against Chile.

Originally, his next stop seemed to be Benfica, the Portuguese super giant has been operating the transfer for several weeks and is close to reaching an agreement with Bottafogo. Almada was loaned to Lyon last season, but financial problems in the Ligue 1 club made him unable to buy out.

However, Botafogo's high asking price of 40 million euros, Almada's preference for Atletico Madrid and Felix's return have changed the situation. Now Benfica has almost withdrawn from the competition, and they believe that the bed sheets have no chance after they intervene. Nottingham Forest and Zenit are also interested in Almada, but the players have publicly expressed their desire to play for Simeone. Many years ago, he admitted that joining Atletico Madrid was a dream and had taken photos in Atletico Madrid jersey.

Almada is not a traditional striker. He can serve as a second striker or play on the wing, but is better at retreating to the midfield and supporting the organization. He has a narrow space dribbling skill like Angel Correa, which is a very urgently needed feature after Atletico Madrid loses its single-point blasting ability. Breakthrough, sprint, defensive contribution and overall view are perfectly in line with Simeone's offensive system, and this signing continues Atletico Madrid's policy of rejuvenating.

Atletico Madrid will not meet the 40 million euro asking price of Bottafogo, but is willing to open the wallet for Almada, which is valued at the transfer market of 25 million. In addition to strengthening the front line, Atletico Madrid also focused on central defenders' recruitment. The original goal was Christian Romero, but after Tottenham's rejection of the bid, his eyes turned to potential central defenders such as Incapier, Hanzko, Lukumi, Inasio, and Scalvini. Atletico Madrid is fully upgrading on both offense and defense.