Tiago seeks Atletico refuge

(GSM) – Tiago Mendes has reiterated his desire to rejoin Atletico Madrid while accusing Juventus of ‘murdering’ his career.

The midfielder has struggled for regular first-team football at Juve since joining the club from Olympique Lyon in 2007.

But the former Chelsea and Benfica star signed for Atletico on loan for the second half of last season and impressed at the Spanish side.

And Tiago, who is at the World Cup with Portugal, has made no secret of his wish to stay with Atletico.

He said in Gazzetta dello Sport: “In Spain, at Atletico Madrid, I feel really good and I would like to remain, even if it’s not up to me.

“At Juventus it has gone badly. They have ‘murdered’ me since the beginning without having seen me play.

“It has been a mistake joining Juventus and I’m not able to think about coming back.”

Atletico president Enrique Cerezo confirmed the club are in talks with Juve over striking a permanent deal for Tiago.

“We want to sign him on a permanent deal. We are in negotiations with Juventus,” Cerezo added.