Shock at Barça, Pedri is stunned: Atlético finalizes his signing

Barça's excellent season has brought them a series of unexpected revenues, as reaching the Champions League semifinals was not part of the club's plans. The influx of millions is very important to clean up the Catalan club's needy coffers. In such a scenario and with the need to strengthen several positions, Pedri, a leader and heavyweight in the locker room, has been surprised by the latest market information.

Pedri has been the best this season, leading Barça's play in the midfield, and the lack of a substitute has led Flick to give him little rest. The Canary Islander has played practically everything, participating in 58 matches, nearing 4,600 minutes of play. The Tenerife native has managed to score 6 goals and provide 8 assists.

Barça has suffered greatly when Pedri has not been on the field to set the pace of the match. Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Fermín have a more dynamic profile, while De Jong and Casadó have a more defensive profile. Consequently, Deco has been considering for months the possibility of signing a footballer capable of giving Pedri a rest when needed.

Atlético gets ahead of Barça in signing Álex Baena

The talented attacking midfielder from Villarreal was Deco's choice to replace Pedri when necessary. However, it seems that Barça has lost the race for the Andalusian footballer, and it will be Atlético who ends up incorporating the player. Álex Baena has confessed his sympathies for Barça in the past on several occasions, but Atlético has been quicker.

The still Villarreal player has had a great season, participating in 32 matches, 2,571 minutes of play, scoring 6 goals, and providing 10 assists. Top assist provider in the five major European leagues last season. Álex Banea would have been the ideal signing to accompany Pedri and for Hansi Flick to have another creator in the midfield, but everything points to it not being possible.

Atlético and Álex Baena reach a preliminary agreement

The player from Almería is set to finalize his move to the red-and-white ranks in the coming weeks. Álex Baena's quality has sparked interest from half of Europe, and Villarreal is not going to give away one of their stars. The "colchoneros" plan a quality leap in their squad to build a more competitive team to fight for all competitions next season.

Álex Baena will provide depth from the second line and offer the team more goal-scoring opportunities. Atlético would finalize his arrival for a figure close to 55 million, which would ward off the siren calls from Saudi Arabia. The midfielder prioritizes staying in La Liga before venturing into a less competitive league.