Sorloth completes Atletico Madrid move

Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Alexander Sorloth from Villarreal in a deal reportedly worth €35million.

Sorloth joins Atleti on the back of scoring 26 goals in 41 games in all competitions in his only season at Villarreal.

A highlight of last term came in May, when he scored four goals in just 17 minutes in a 4-4 draw with Real Madrid.

Atleti were in the market for a striker after Alvaro Morata’s move to Milan and following their release of Memphis Depay.

Sorloth, who has 53 caps for Norway, was second only to Artem Dovbyk when it came to LaLiga goals last season, netting 23 times in total.

Welcøme, Sørloth! pic.twitter.com/gvrEJEelUl

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 3, 2024

The 28-year-old endured a difficult spell in England when he moved to Crystal Palace in January 2018, scoring just one goal in 20 appearances, but his career was revitalised by a loan to Trabzonspor, where he scored 24 league goals in 34 league games.

He subsequently moved to RB Leipzig before two spells on loan at Real Sociedad where he netted 24 times in 90 games before he signed for Villarreal in the summer of 2023.

Sorloth’s aerial prowess could be of real use for Diego Simeone’s side. Indeed, he scored more headed goals (seven) than any other player in LaLiga last season.

Dovbyk was another target for Atleti, but the Ukraine international has instead joined Roma.

Sorloth has penned a four-year deal with Atleti, who are also pushing to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City.