Rising Atletico Madrid star Rodrigo Riquelme confirmed he was offered the chance to leave the club ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The 23-year-old found himself at a career crossroads at the start of the campaign, after successive loan spells away from Madrid, including a strong 2022/23 season at La Liga side Girona.
After making his La Liga debut for Atletico in 2019, Riquleme was tipped as a future star for Diego Simeone’s team, but he was unable to force his way into the Argentinian’s plans in his early career.
His early promise was countered against concerns over his ability to deal with the physicality associated with Simeone’s demands of his midfielders and he spent time at Bournemouth and Mirandes, before moving to Girona in 2022.
Atletico reportedly received a string of offers for him in August, including a bid from Premier League champions Manchester City, but they rejected, as Simeone looked to assess the Spanish U21 international.
Simeone wanted to keep Riquelme in his ranks, and the coming months will be vital to his Atletico future, but the Los Rojiblancos youth team graduate will not be pushing to leave.
“I’ve been away from home for three years, and I’m from here”, as per an interview with Marca.
“I have been here all my life, I feel it’s my home.
“I have been away fighting for my chance, and now, having that opportunity is a turning point in my happiness and what I want is to succeed here.
“It’s true there was several offers from powerful teams, but Atletico was always in my head, and I will fight for my dream here.”
