Sport Mediaset report that Juventus and Atletico Madrid are working through the final details of a permanent transfer for Nico González, the Argentine winger who spent last season on loan at the Metropolitano, with Diego Simeone pushing decisively for the deal to be concluded in the coming hours.
Where the negotiations stand
The broad shape of the deal is taking form. Sport Mediaset report that Juventus have brought their initial asking price of €28 million down to a range of €22–25 million including bonuses, a concession designed to accelerate a move that both clubs broadly want to complete. Nico González returned to Turin at the end of his loan period, though both player and manager have made clear they want continuity in Madrid.
The reason the automatic purchase obligation did not activate at the end of last season was straightforward: an injury left Nico short of the minimum number of appearances required under the loan agreement. Despite that, Sport Mediaset report that the genuine sporting intent on both sides is driving the current push toward a final agreement.
Mundo Deportivo’s Javier G. Gómara reported on 19 July that Nico’s market value sits at around €22 million, and that Juventus had been holding firm at €30 million. The gap between the clubs has clearly narrowed since then, per Sport Mediaset’s update. World Cup performances have contributed to rising player valuations across the market, and Nico’s displays – including 26 minutes in the semi-final victory over England – have been part of that broader trend.
The Juventus position and Atlético’s priorities
Juventus’ shift in stance reflects a club that has lowered its demands in order to unlock a deal both sides want to close. According to Calciomercato, Luciano Spalletti views Nico as a potentially important option for the project rather than a surplus player – someone he would be prepared to develop and use if the Argentine remains in Turin. Their willingness to move toward a €22–25m range suggests the club has calculated that completing the sale at that level is preferable to a prolonged standoff.
Mundo Deportivo noted that Los Colchoneros are not in a hurry to close – a new centre-forward and a central defender remain higher priorities in the current window – but that the operation has never been dropped, only paused while both sides assess their positions. Simeone has already communicated to the board that he wants Nico back.
What comes next
Sport Mediaset describe the two clubs as working intensively to close the remaining economic details, with a resolution expected in the near term. Nico González, for his part, has made clear he wants to remain in Madrid under Simeone. The narrowing of the fee gap to a range both sides can plausibly accept means this saga, which has dragged across an injury-disrupted season and a World Cup summer, may finally be approaching its conclusion.
