European giants Barcelona and Bayern Munich are monitoring Atletico Madrid defender Juanfran’s situation at the club.
According to a report in Spanish publication MARCA, the Catalan and the Bavarian giants are interested in the 32-year-old fullback, who has only one season left on his contract with Los Rojiblancos. As per the report, Atletico are yet to offer Juanfran an offer to prolong his stay at the club.
Barcelona’s troubles with their defence have been well documented this season, mainly those at right back. The Blaugrana were never able to purchase a proper right-back in the summer transfer window after letting Dani Alves leave for Juventus on a free transfer.
Following that, Aleix Vidal’s exile and subsequent injury would force Luis Enrique to play Sergi Roberto in defence. While the young central midfielder has done an admirable job, Barcelona will be desperately looking to get a proper right-back in the summer to avoid a repeat of this season.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm is set to retire at the end of the season after a glittering 15-year career at the top level. Replacing the club legend will be no easy feat, but Bayern would do well to learn from Barcelona’s mistake, having been in the exact same situation one year ago.
Juanfran, who has played over 5oo games for both club and country, could prove to be a superb short-term option for either side, allowing for them to simultaneously bring in and cultivate younger, long-term options without hindering their development.
The Spanish international can begin talking to other clubs in January, and if Atletico don’t offer him a contract before the summer of 2018, they risk losing him for free. Juanfran however, has chosen to concentrate on matters on the pitch.
Now with the current campaign drawing to a close, the former Real Madrid defender will have to begin considering his immediate future. Atletico’s only other right-back, 25-year-old Sime Vrsaljko is his only competition at the club and his current contract runs till 2021.
It is said that manager Diego Simeone will have a big say on Juanfran’s future. The Argentine had brought Juanfran to Atletico in January 2011, a month after he was named manager and the duo have gone on to win numerous titles since.
But with Simeone himself set to stay only until 2018, it will be interesting to see how things play out. Atletico Madrid are also fighting a transfer ban imposed on them and are awaiting a decision on whether they will be able to recruit players in the upcoming transfer window.
Letting go of a player of Juanfran’s calibre and form would be foolhardy, if they didn’t first sign a replacement. Should the decision of the ban stand, it is likely that Los Rojiblancos would want to keep the ones that they already have and keep a hold of him for another season.
