Atlético de Madrid are advancing in negotiations Tuesday to land veteran left-back Nicolás Tagliafico from Lyon in a deadline day transfer.
First reported by David Medina and Isaac Suárez in Marca, Argentina international Tagliafico has gained momentum in recent hours as Atlético seek a backup for Alejandro Grimaldo. Atlético for weeks have been trying to sign Racing Santander teenager Jorge Salinas, but the clubs have not agreed on a deal amid Atleti’s resistance toward paying Salinas’ €16 million
release clause.
Enter Tagliafico, who had been in negotiations to join Juventus before Atlético entered the race. According to Fabrizio Romano associate Matteo Moretto, Tagliafico has spoken directly to Diego Simeone and is prioritizing a move to Atleti, having accepted his role would be as a substitute. To make room for Tagliafico and his roughly €3 million gross salary, Mateu Alemany would have to clear space in the squad by finding new destinations for multiple players, including Josema Giménez, Carlos Martín and Obed Vargas.
Tagliafico, who turned 34 on Monday, has spent the previous four seasons playing for Lyon, but the French side’s aggregate loss to Fenerbahçe in the UEFA Champions League play-off round last week has put it in a bind. With Champions League income lost, Lyon need to sell players, and Tagliafico — entering the final year of his contract — will be one of the casualties.
Joining Atlético would mark Tagliafico’s return to Spain, 13 years after he played for Real Murcia in the second tier. After he returned to Argentina to play for Banfield and Independiente, Tagliafico became a key cog in the Ajax machine that won three Dutch titles and reached a Champions League semifinal between 2018 and 2022. He moved to Ligue 1 in 2022 and helped OL reach the last eight of the Europa League in 2025.
At international level, Tagliafico has been capped 83 times for Argentina, and he started throughout the Albiceleste’s run to the World Cup final in July.
Signing Tagliafico would mark a curious end to the transfer window. Salinas is the higher-upside play, but two factors — Racing’s posture and the player’s representation (he’s a Jorge Mendes client) — make that a difficult deal to conclude. Plus, Tagliafico is a responsible defender who might be a better complement to the more-adventurous Grimaldo; the Spain international has struggled positionally against Villarreal and Sevilla to begin his Atleti career.
That said, I can’t help but think that Tagliafico is the exact type of signing that the new Atleti under Apollo Sports Capital’s ownership has to avoid. This is a low-upside move for a player who already has played the best games in his career. We know that Simeone and Atlético love their Argentines, but this transfer seems desperate and poorly planned to me. If Tagliafico is signed, then I really hope he proves me wrong.
