Atletico Madrid Seal €20m Simão Deal
The player will travel to the Spanish capital on Thursday and will put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal following a medical, as there seems to be an agreement over personal terms as well.
As well as splashing out €20m, Atlético could also see two players head in the opposite direction with Costinha and Zé Castro mooted to be part of the deal.
Simão joins the likes of Diego Forlán, Luís García and Raúl García on the way in this summer. With the likes of Sergio Aguëro, Jurado and Maxi Rodríguez already in the ranks, the side is beginning to look like a force to be reckoned with.
Benfica held firm over the price that they wanted for the former FC Barcelona wideman as negotiations continued, while Atlético refused to give up after being rebuffed in their quest to capture Ricardo Quaresma from Porto.
Coach Javier Aguirre wanted one fo the Portuguese stars to balance his squad and Simão's arrival now confirms that Martin Petrov will be leaving the club this summer.
Simão will become los Colchoners' club record signing only weeks after they broke the previous amount when bringing Forlán in from Villarreal for €21m.
The huge outlay this summer will see expectations and pressure rise at Vicente Calderón, but there is still one more signing to come.
Simão has spent six years at Benfica after joining the club from Barça in 2001 for a deal worth around €12m after two mixed seasons at Camp Nou.
Source: goal.com, uefa.com
