Wolves striker Rafa Mir could get his dream move to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid on the back of Lionel Messi’s Barcelona departure, as reported by Marca.
It was a bombshell that shook world football to its core. One of those ‘where were you when you found out?’ sort of moments.
After 22 years, 778 games, 672 goals and a staggering 34 trophies, Lionel Messi is no longer at Barcelona.
And the sudden departure of arguably the greatest footballer of all time from the club he loves so dearly has sent ripples across the continent, from Camp Nou all the way to Wolverhampton.
Because, according to Marca, Messi’s bolt-from-the-blue goodbye could open the door for Rafa Mir to seal a transfer he’s been dreaming of for ages.
It could be Wolves man Rafa Mir rather than Griezmann for Atletico Madrid
After all, Barcelona aren’t going to let Antoine Griezmann walk out the door now Messi has gone.
Atletico hoped to be reunited with one of their favourite sons – two years after he left one Spanish giant for another in a deal worth £108 million – but Griezmann will now have a huge part to play in the post-Leo era. He’s the leading candidate to step into the right-sided role that suddenly looks very vacant.
As a result, Atletico are looking around for plan B.
And it seems Diego Simeone’s first port of call could be a one-time Nottingham Forest loanee, a man hoping to put his ill-fated Wolverhampton Wanderers spell behind him after playing just 29 minutes of league football in his three years at Molineux.
Mir, who recently rejected the chance to sign a new contract at Wolves, is valued at about £13 million – hardly the sort of money that would deter a continental colossus like Atletico Madrid.
“(Atletico) are a great club,” Mir told AS just this week, his reputation sky high on the back of a super loan spell at Huesca and an Olympic hat-trick for Spain.
“I think the way they play (would) suit me very well.”
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