Report: Atletico Madrid's Torres, Gaitan Could Join Carrasco in Chinese Super League
Atletico Madrid duo Fernando Torres and Nicolas Gaitan are reportedly set to move to Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Yifang in the immediate future, with both players being believed to have played their final games for Los Rojiblancos.
As out of favor winger Yannick Carrasco also prepares to leave the club for the same Chinese outfit in a €30m deal, Diego Simeone's Atletico clear out seems to finally be coming into effect, with Torres and Gaitan looking like they will be following the Belgian out of the Wanda Metropolitano.
According to AS (via Football España), Gaitan will be leaving Madrid in a deal worth €18m - only 18 months after his €25m move from Benfica. The Argentine is set to put pen to paper "in the next few hours" after missing Atletico's 5-2 win over Sevilla on Sunday night.
As for Torres, the Chinese side have picked up interest in the former Premier League striker after Diego Simeone's comments regarding his future last week, as reported by ABC.
The Atleti boss simply replied 'no' to a question asked about whether the manger would fight to keep Torres at the club beyond his contract expiry in summer.
Whether or not either of these deals affect Yannick Carrasco's proposed move to Dalian Yifang is unconfirmed. However, the high interest in Atletico players comes as a result of owner Wang Jianlin - who also owns 15% of the Spanish side. His company, the Dalian Wanda group, also sponsors Atleti's stadium, the Wanda Metropolitano.
Dalian Yifang have only been in existence for eight years, and have recently been promoted into the Chinese Super League. The apparent signing of the previously mentioned trio looks a safe bet to keep them in the Chinese top flight.
