Alexander Sørloth could yet leave Atlético Madrid in the final days of the summer transfer window, and Matteo Moretto has indicated that Serie A champions Napoli are interested in the Norwegian following an injury to their striker Romelu Lukaku.
“Atlético are looking for a solution to let him leave, and Napoli has always followed and appreciated him,” Moretto wrote Tuesday on X. “As of today, I’m not aware of any direct contacts, but Napoli is evaluating multiple options before making a final decision.”
Earlier this month, Moretto reported on interest from several clubs in Sørloth, who was one of four players to score 20 goals or more in LaLiga last season. What made Sørloth’s feat unique was that he scored 12 of those 20 goals from the bench, with several key strikes helping to sustain an Atlético title challenge into March. In May, Sørloth notched the quickest hat-trick in league history (3 minutes, 57 seconds), part of a first-half poker he scored in a 4-0 home win over Real Sociedad.
However, in the season-opening loss on Sunday at Espanyol, Diego Simeone opted to put Antoine Griezmann and new signing Giacomo Raspadori into the game nearly 15 minutes before he turned to Sørloth, with Atlético having already lost the lead. Two minutes after Sørloth entered the match, Pere Milla’s sensational header put the Pericos ahead for good; Sørloth touched the ball only twice and did not attempt a shot.
According to ABC journalist Jose Ignacio Fernández on his YouTube channel, this has led to a complete breakdown in the relationship between Cholo and Sørloth, who had expressed dismay at appearing so frequently from the bench last season. Sørloth reportedly has asked to leave Atlético, and the club will let the Norway international go if he can bring an offer that covers the rest of the transfer fee that needs to be amortized following his arrival from Villarreal only 12 months ago.
In addition, Atlético will have to turn to the market to sign a replacement for Sørloth, who is in the second year of a four-year contract in the Spanish capital. Fernández mentions that Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović — who nearly joined Atlético in 2021 — is one of the options, though it seems more likely that the player will stay in Serie A.
Sørloth, big and brawny but in possession of a wicked left foot, never has been quite to Simeone’s liking. I think the coach appreciates Sørloth’s ability, but he obviously does not see him as a top-level striker at a club as demanding as Atlético. The Espanyol game served as an indication that El Cholo wants mobile and technically-gifted playmakers to combine with Julián Alvarez in the Atleti attack, and there is no meaningful role for Sørloth in that kind of attacking setup.
We’ll see if Sørloth gets his exit in the next two weeks. There seem to be several interested parties, though the asking price (with 20 percent of the profit, should there be any, heading to Villarreal) could be prohibitive for most of them.
