Atletico Madrid Accelerate Move for Defender Jorge Salinas
Atletico Madrid are accelerating their move for Racing Santander defender Jorge Salinas as they try to get in ahead of growing interest from Manchester United.
The 19-year-old left-back has been on United’s radar for months. The Old Trafford club tracked him closely throughout last season as he helped Racing win promotion to LaLiga, then doubled down on their scouting when he headed to the European Under-19 Championship in Wales with Spain.
United scouts followed Spain’s entire campaign at the tournament, watching Salinas at close quarters. He didn’t disappoint. The teenager played a key role in Spain’s run to the title, backing up the positive reports already compiled from his club performances.
That body of work has pushed United into a decision phase. Salinas is available for his €16million (£13.7m / $18.6m) release clause, a figure that rose sharply after Racing’s promotion. Barcelona had previously considered him as a long-term project signing, but stepped away when the buyout fee doubled.
Atletico, though, see an immediate opportunity rather than a slow-burn gamble.
Atletico step on the gas
With Matteo Ruggeri allowed to join Aston Villa, Atletico have moved quickly to reposition their left-back plans. The Madrid club want Salinas to come straight into the first-team squad and have been ramping up talks over the past month.
Sources indicate Atletico are fully aware that United have already made contact with both Racing and the player’s camp. That knowledge has triggered a sense of urgency at the Metropolitano. The fear is simple: if United decide to pull the trigger on the clause, the Premier League club’s financial muscle could tilt the race.
So Atletico are pushing harder now, aiming to get a deal agreed before United move from monitoring to action.
United weigh up their left-back options
For United, Salinas is part of a wider left-back puzzle rather than a single-club obsession.
Lewis Hall of Newcastle remains their preferred target, and United are actively trying to find a way to bring him to Old Trafford. Newcastle, however, are not inclined to sell, forcing United to keep alternative plans alive.
That’s where Salinas has grown in appeal. Young, already tested in senior football, and available at a defined price, he fits the profile of a modern, attacking full-back who can be developed further.
United’s shortlist does not end there. RB Leipzig’s David Raum is also under consideration, while Club Brugge defender Joaquin Seys has been assessed. Belgian sources, though, are adamant Seys will not be leaving this summer, narrowing the realistic options.
All of which sharpens the focus on Salinas.
The race is now moving quickly: Atletico trying to land him before anyone else can react, United debating whether to trigger that €16million clause. One club wants him as a starter now, the other as part of a broader rebuild.
Who blinks first may decide where one of Spain’s most promising young full-backs plays his football next season.
