The full-time whistle had barely blown on the 2018 Copa Libertadores final when Pity Martinez revealed his next move. The River Plate attacker was candid as he told a crowd of gathered reporters that amid much speculation he had decided to join Atlanta United. However, it wasn’t for another month that an official announcement came.
This was surely connected to the saga concerning Miguel Almiron’s future. The Paraguayan has been one of MLS’s very best over the past two seasons, but there is an acceptance that the time has come for him to move on. Or at least, there was an acceptance.
Rumors grew stronger towards the end of the 2018 MLS season that Almiron would leave Atlanta United for the Premier League, with Arsenal, Crystal Palace, and Newcastle United all linked. However, Atlanta’s demand of a $30 million fee has left Newcastle as the only genuine suitors, with Real Betis joining on the peripheries.
By asking for too much — and with only a few days of the European transfer window left — is it possible that Atlanta United could be forced into selling Almiron on the cheap? After all, with Martinez now on the roster they have four Designated Players when league rules permit only three.
Latest reports claim Newcastle United have finally agreed on a price for Almiron, with Napoli joining the race late. That might have been the leverage Atlanta United needed to keep their price high, but nonetheless, the Premier League side still held the advantage in negotiations. How close to their $30 million asking price have the Red and Blacks got?
There had been suggestions that Atlanta United might have loaned Martinez from River Plate, with an agreement to buy at a later date, while a transfer for Almiron was sorted out. However, with the deal now done it seems that a fee of $14 million has been paid for a permanent transfer of the 25-year-old.
To date, Atlanta United have operated the shrewdest front office in MLS. But they have given themselves a problem here. By all accounts, it’s something of a surprise that Almiron is still at the club at this late stage of the transfer window. With a move to Europe finally on the cards, have Atlanta been forced to drop their price?
Graham Ruthven is a soccer writer based in the U.K. He has written for the New York Times, Guardian, Eurosport, Bleacher Report, and others.