Atletico Madrid make contact with Lille star Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Los Rojiblancos are looking for a replacement for Angel Correa, who has joined Mexican club Tigres after spending a decade with the La Liga club.
Advertisement
Fernandez-Pardo has emerged as a potential target, while Villarreal have also enquired about his availability.
After impressing at the Belgium club Gent, the 20-year-old returned to Lille last year, where he spent the youth ranks.
Fernandez-Pardo caught everyone's eye with his impressive performances despite limited starts last season.
He netted six goals and four assists in all competitions and showcased his versatility to play in multiple positions in the forward line.
Despite representing Belgium's various youth levels, Fernandez-Pardo switched his allegiance to the Spanish national team earlier this year.
Advertisement
The Lille star is a raw talent but has a higher ceiling to develop into a top-class player.
He has showcased his brilliant ball-progression skills, dribbling prowess and an eye for creative passes in addition to his shooting abilities.
The Ligue 1 giants would try to keep the talented prospect after recently losing their prolific striker Jonathan David to Juventus on a free transfer.
Atletico have a stacked attack consisting of Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth, Antoine Griezmann and Giuliano Simeone.
Corinthians' Brazilian striker Yuri Alberto and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Fabio Silva are also on Atletico's wishlist.
Advertisement
Diego Simeone's side have already snapped up Alex Baena and Matteo Ruggeri. They have a verbal agreement in place for Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso.
Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is edging closer to a move to Inter Miami.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea's Ishé Samuels-Smith joins Strasbourg
Strasbourg have signed England youth international left-back Ishé Samuels-Smith (19) from Chelsea, both clubs have announced. The 19-year-old has put pen to paper over a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 side. Samuel-Smith, who is also capable of playing at centre-back, has moved from Stamford Bridge to La Meinau for a fee of €7.5m, plus another €500,000 in bonuses. He was signed by Chelsea from Everton back in 2023 for a fee of €4.5m. Samuels-Smith has already linked up with his Strasbourg teammates for the Alsatians' preseason training camp in Austria. The England youth international is the third player to make the move from Chelsea to Strasbourg this summer, after Mathis Amougou (permanent) and Mike Penders (loan). Samuels-Smith is the tenth summer signing of Strasbourg this window. GFFN | Bastien Cheval
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Who could Milan sell to fund swoop for Liverpool's Chiesa
Last week, Milan sporting director Igli Tare said that the club will only pursue a new winger if they manage to offload one of their existing players, as speculation begins to grow that the club will move for Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa. Speaking to the press, Tare said 'We plan to intervene on the wings in the event of any exits.' Reports earlier today suggested that the Rossoneri are set to meet with Chiesa's representatives this week, so who could be leaving the club? Milan's Chukwueze wanted by Fulham? Samuel Chukwueze takes a penalty during the shoot-out after the pre-season friendly between Milan and Arsenal in Singapore in July, 2025 (picture via According to reports from the Gazzetta dello Sport, via MilanNews24, Premier League club Fulham are interested in signing Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze. La Liga club Real Betis have also been linked to the Nigerian but Fulham's interest appears more concrete. Aside from Chukwueze, Swiss forward Noah Okafor is also being linked away from the Rossoneri, despite performing well in pre-season. The 25-year-old scored twice in Milan's 4-2 victory over Liverpool but the Serie A side still consider the player to be up for sale. Is Chiesa worth it for Milan? Chiesa will not be a cheap purchase, even if the club manage to offload players to help finance the move. The 27-year-old signed for Premier League champions Liverpool last summer for €12 million, just two years after his €45 million move to Juventus from Fiorentina. Liverpool's Federico Chiesa reacts during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at Giuseppe Meazza stadium, 17 September 2024. EPA-EFE/MATTEO BAZZI Chiesa's contract with Liverpool does not expire until 2028 and therefore the Reds hold all the cards in any potential negotiation with Milan. The player's wage demands may be higher than the Rossoneri would like to pay, considering a shift in attitude off-the-pitch has led the club to attempt more sensible financial decisions. However, price aside, Chiesa could be a valuable addition. Massimiliano Allegri has re-joined the Rossoneri this summer as head coach and his time working with Chiesa at Juventus could be decisive in convincing the player to join and allowing him to flourish if he does. Chiesa played just 104 minutes in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign for Liverpool, making most of his appearances in cup competitions.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘A little child' – Barcelona star the subject of fresh criticism
Barcelona star Marc-André ter Stegen has this week come in for a fresh round of altogether heavy criticism. This of course comes amid ongoing rumours pointing towards mounting tension between club and player. The subject of goalkeeper Ter Stegen's relationship with those behind the scenes at the Camp Nou has emerged as an altogether prominent one in the media over recent weeks. This comes with the 33-year-old all of a sudden finding himself in something of a precarious situation in Hansi Flick's squad. After so long acting as the undisputed no.1 option between the posts in Catalunya's capital, Ter Stegen has this summer tumbled all the way down to third-choice. Such developments are understood to have left the shot-stopper far from impressed, giving rise to widespread claims of growing tension between the parties. Hansi Flick, meanwhile, was on more than one occasion left bemused by the behaviour of his fellow countryman this past season. And as alluded to above, this week, Ter Stegen has been singled out for some fresh and altogether ruthless criticism. Speaking during an appearance on El Larguero, journalist Santi Gimenez of SER embarked on the following rant regarding Barca's out-of-favour shot-stopper: 'Ter Stegen has behaved like a little child… Since last season: He acted poorly against Szczęsny, acted poorly against Peña, and stated that he wants to return and play to participate in the Nations League with Germany. He chooses moments of glory and avoids tough moments, which is absolutely unacceptable for a team captain! I mean, he went to Seville to lift the Copa del Rey, but he didn't travel to Milan to attend the team's UCL semi-final… While Koundé, for example, traveled in economy class to support his teammates. As for Ter Stegen, since there was no glory, he didn't want to show up. And on the day of the La Liga coronation, because he was angry for not playing, he sabotaged the speech that was planned in front of the crowd waiting for the players to speak at the stadium. And to make matters worse, his latest behavior was when he announced the duration of his absence before the surgery!' Conor Laird – GSFN