Report: Atletico Madrid a Shock Contender to Sign Schalke's Max Meyer
Atletico Madrid have emerged as shock contenders to land Schalke contract rebel May Meyer on a free transfer this summer.
German news outlet Bild has claimed that the attacking midfielder could trade the Bundesliga for La Liga at the end of this term as Diego Simeone bids to bolster his thinning first team squad.
Atletico's senior squad was reduced to 19 players after the departures of Yannick Carrasco, Miguel Angel Moya and Nicolas Gaitan last month due to the differing transfer windows across the globe.
And Meyer has now been earmarked as a key transfer target heading into the summer months as the 22-year-old winds down his contract in Gelsenkirchen, with no hopes of preventing him from leaving for nothing come 1st July.
Simeone is believed to have stated that Meyer would 'assist' in rejuvenating his squad at the end of this term too as he looks to reduce the age range in his squad at Wanda Metropolitano.
Bayern Munich had seemed to be surefire favorites to land Meyer at the end of the season as the German giants look to snap up yet another talented player in their homeland.
The emergence of Los Rojiblancos could scupper that deal, however, with the possibility that Meyer would not be afforded regular football at the Allianz Arena.
Premier League pair Arsenal and Liverpool were also keen on signing Meyer when his deal ends, but both had appeared to cool their interest in him when Bayern came calling for his services.
The central midfielder has featured in 22 of Schalke's 25 league matches so far this term despite him stating that he would not be renewing his contract with Domenico Todesco's team.
A product of the Schalke academy, Meyer broke into the first-team fold back in the summer o 2013 and has gone on to rack up 22 goals and 24 assists in almost 200 appearances for Schalke.
