Josema Giménez’s decorated Atlético de Madrid career could come to an end in the next few months.
Matteo Moretto reported Tuesday on Radio Marca that Atlético have reached a “gentleman’s agreement” with Giménez, wherein the club will allow him to depart for free in the summer transfer window if he finds a new home.
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One team that could hold interest in Giménez is AC Milan, according to reporting in Diario AS last month. Moretto said other Italian clubs had reached out to the Uruguay skipper as well.
Giménez, 31, has two years remaining on a contract that pays him roughly €6 million net per season. After suffering a muscle injury during the FIFA Club World Cup, Giménez did not debut this season until mid-October, and he missed five weeks following a separate muscle injury in December.
During this time, Marc Pubill emerged as a starter in central defense next to Dávid Hancko, leaving Giménez without a guaranteed place in Diego Simeone’s lineup for the first time in a decade. While Giménez has demonstrated this season that he can still compete in high-level football, he has declined physically and does not have the technical traits that elite center-backs possess now. After 13 years, his Atlético departure now appears to be a genuine possibility given his age and his new status as a substitute.
Giménez came to Madrid from Danubio in his native Uruguay in 2013. As far as €1 million transfers go, it’s hard to do much better than this. Though injuries have blighted Giménez’s career and lowered a ceiling that once appeared to be world-class, his 373 appearances rank 15th in club history; at his best, he was an aggressive defender with blazing speed and good aerial ability. He’s scored 14 goals over 13 seasons, including a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League back in November.
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A loyal servant who has been one of the club’s captains since 2019, Giménez has won two Liga titles, a Europa League, a UEFA Super Cup and a Spanish Super Cup with Atleti. It would be really nice to add a Copa del Rey to that resume; Atleti are 90 minutes from the competition’s final following last Thursday’s 4-0 win over Barcelona in the semifinal first leg.