As last night's Champions League fiestas slowly die down, fans of Los Rojiblancos have even more good news to celebrate today. The club has announced that they have officially struck a deal with Valencia which will see Argentine international Ever Banega join on a one year loan deal.
The midfielder has been linked to the Madrid outfit for a while and it is believed that differences between the clubs have finally been sorted out. The biggest obstacle was the fact that Valencia wanted a fee of €4 million whereas Atleti were only willing to pay €1.5 million. Valencia appear to have caved, though, reportedly accepting a fee in the region of €1.3 million.
Ever Ready
The move will come as a great relief for coach Javier Aguirre, who has been considering various solutions to his midfield problems all summer. Also pleased is Atletico president Enrique Cerezo, who said at the unveiling today: “He is an Argentine international who, in spite of his youth, is one of the most promising players in international football.
“We should emphasise that Ever has extraordinary quality as a player and handles the ball very well, we are convinced that he will be an important part of the group.”
The deal does not come without stipulations, however. Most notable is the option for Atletico to terminate the deal if the player does not abide by the club's code of conduct. It also includes a clause which allows the Madrid side to buy the player after a year for a fee of €11 million.
Speaking today, Banega could not hide his delight at the move, saying: “I thank the President for his words of welcome. I will give my all to help Atletico and I expect that together we will have a great campaign.”
Grateful
The Argentine went on to describe that he was grateful to all who had backed him in his move.
"Kun Agüero spoke well to me of Atleti," he said of his young international teammate.
"He told me that it was a good club that would help me a lot, so I'm very pleased about that. Agüero, too, has always supported me at all times.
"The fact that the team is also in the Champions League fills me with enthusiasm, too."
Looking back on his time at the Mestalla, the midfielder - who was once caught in a sex act on his own webcam - continued, "In Valencia I took chances to play when they came to me, and now I'm looking to do the same here.
"I didn't see the game last night because I was travelling but my representatives told me that the team played very well. This is a good time for the club and the squad did well enough to enter the Champions League, so clearly there is competition.
"Plus the fans are great - just like those of Argentina."
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