Atlético Nacional, as its coach Pablo Repetto confirmed, is in the arduous task of finding reinforcements, thinking about correcting a truly disappointing semester, eliminated from the Copa Libertades and Liga Betplay I 2024 well in advance.
: “New players are going to arrive, we are going to work with the managers. We will play preseason friendlies so that the team arrives with rhythm for the start of the next championship,” the Uruguayan coach announced in his most recent press conference.
What positions? Until date 19 is closed, against Deportes Tolima this Saturday against the leader Deportes Tolima (7:00 pm) the topic will not be discussed openly. But it is only a couple of days and that is why there is no time to lose… in fact it has not been lost and it is known that there are several contacts in progress, but little is really confirmed.
From there to the rumors that have been generated lately there is an important distance. Who are we talking about? Of figures from the Colombian National Team, no less. Rumors in Antioquia speak of contacts, not official but surveys, with James Rodríguez and David Ospina. Yes, he read that right.
It is said that both would be on the radar to solve two problems: the green’s play generation, which was their burden at the close of this round of the League, and the need for a high-level goalkeeper in the face of the departure of Santiago ‘Kili’ Rojas, who did not meet expectations.
And the million dollar question: is anyone in the green really looking for and making official contacts with these two Lorenzo stars? The newspaper El Colombiano said it clearly, citing club sources: “Nacional investigates almost every Colombian player who is abroad, there is a list that is being refined. Therefore, they have most likely called those names,” he published.
So? It is known who they are, what contractual conditions they are under and what their general costs would be. From there to when they are approaching the purslane house there is a sidereal distance.
The James case
If the intention to aspire to hire a player like James were real, the green team would need an aggressive marketing plan, a new unprecedented financing formula (some replica of the model that brought Messi to Inter Miami, for example), a direct negotiation of the player to interrupt his contract with Sao Paulo (until 2025) and leave free and a drastic decrease in the player’s salary, which according to the Brazilian press would be around 6 million dollars a year.
Nowadays these amounts are not within the reach of any Colombian club, but only the green one has in its favor that the left-hander has his residence in Medellín, that he would love to play at home and that he would remain on the radar of the Colombian National Team because he would What counts for Lorenzo is that he plays, not just where.
The Ospina case
The case of the Antioquian archer may be a little closer, if you like, whose wife is also from Antioquia and they are surrounded by loved ones and contacts. In fact, already last semester there were mentions of approaches with his agent, Lucas Jaramillo, although in the end he stayed at Al-Nassr, where he has a current contract, according to Transfermarkt, until June 2024.
That detail could bring it closer, since there would be no international transfer payment to pay, but the investment would also be so high that it is unlikely to make an offer comparable to those from abroad.
“David always wants to come to Nacional,” said El Colombiano, citing club sources. “Nacional can make every possible effort as it did last December, but competing with Mexico or Arabia, if they renew it, is very difficult,” he added. The plan B that they would consider is the Uruguayan Salvador Ichazo, today at Deportivo Pereira.
Finally, it must be said that Cristian Arango’s situation is nothing more than a confession of a fan of the player, since he has a current contract in the MLS and would hardly be an option if he is not a free agent. Competing with the United States in economic matters is practically impossible.