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Atletico Madrid have come on leaps and bounds in recent seasons through a mixture of strong recruitment and huge improvements in chemistry between the players, something which can be credited to the way Diego Simeone organises his team.
Atletico are currently second in LaLiga, two points ahead of Real Madrid. They're unlikely to catch up to Barcelona, who are now ten points ahead and easing towards retaining the league title, but they can be proud of the fact that they're properly competing at the top of the table at last.
Without any further ado, here are four players that Atletico could sign in the summer to bolster their squad for the next campaign.
#4 Hector Herrera (FC Porto)
Hector Herrera is a 28-year-old central midfielder who currently plays for FC Porto in Liga NOS. He has also featured for Mexico's national team a total of 70 times since first making his debut in October 2012.
Herrera is by far the most experienced player on this list, having played in Mexico for much of his career before his move to Portugal in the summer of 2013 for a fee close to £10m. He is currently the captain of Porto.
What Herrera could bring to the Atletico Madrid midfield is an air of stability and level-headedness, which Atletico have appeared to lack in recent months. Most of their squad is quite young, so the experience is still being gained; however, for someone like Herrera, who's already done it all, to join the squad would make a world of difference.
Herrera's market value is estimated at around £20m, though for Atletico to buy him, it might be more realistic to expect a fee of around £25m.
#3 Andrea Belotti (Torino)
Andrea Belotti is a 25-year-old centre-forward who currently plays for Torino in Serie A. He has also featured a total of 20 times for Italy, having made his debut back in September 2016.
Belotti is a striker who's been linked with virtually every top European club over the past couple of seasons, though speculation has died down considerably since then. With 10 goals in 28 appearances, Belotti could certainly be doing better but he continues to show signs of what he could become within the next couple of years.
Belotti still has room to grow, despite being 25, and under someone like Simeone, there's no doubt that he could very well realise his potential in no time at all. What he really needs is a team that's strong enough to support him and provide him with the ball; he simply doesn't get that often enough at Torino, who are frankly a mid-table side at best.
The Italian has a £27m market value which makes him an affordable option this summer, but the final decision will fall to Belotti himself on whether he wants to finally depart Torino or not.
#2 Julian Brandt (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Julian Brandt is a 22-year-old left winger who currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. He also plays for Germany's national team, having made 23 appearances since his debut in May 2016.
Brandt has played 25 times for Leverkusen so far this season, scoring four goals and assisting 10. Brandt is mature beyond his years in terms of his football ability and has been compared to Leroy Sane, who also flourished in the Bundesliga before making the switch to Manchester City in the summer of 2016.
The winger only signed for Leverkusen for around £300k in 2014, and now, almost five years on from that move, Brandt is supposedly worth around £40m. Quite the investment.
Atletico Madrid need to be sure that Brandt is the player they want, as £40m is certainly no small amount to throw away. But given his performances for Bayer Leverkusen, and the fact he's proven himself already at senior level, this could be the ideal transfer in the summer.
#1 Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan)
Ivan Perisic is a 30-year-old left winger who currently plays for Inter Milan in Serie A. He has also represented Croatia a total of 78 times since his debut in March 2011.
Perisic has only really started to ascend towards his peak in recent years, despite the fact he's so late into his career. At Borussia Dortmund, he showed hints of what he could become, but ultimately failed to make much of an impact and was sold to Wolfsburg for £7m.
It was a similar story at Wolfsburg to begin with, before suddenly becoming more consistent and well-rounded on the pitch. As a result, his value soared and Wolfsburg made a tidy profit of around £10m when they sold him to his current team, Inter, for £17m.
With a market value now of around £30m, it's safe to say that Perisic has blossomed into a great footballer. A blend of experience and his ability to keep fit have kept him in good stead and meant that he retains his position in the Inter first team, despite rife competition.
What Perisic could bring to Atletico is his experience and level-headedness on the ball, which would work well in contrast with the giddiness often seen in some of their younger players. There has to be an authoritative figure out on the pitch, and Perisic could be just that.
