The 28-year-old centre-forward who last season had done wonderfully in La Liga with Villarreal (26 goals) had attracted the interest of Atletico Madrid's coach, Diego Simeone, who had watched him repeatedly. So as soon as the tall Dovbyik's case collapsed, he immediately asked the administration to move quickly and shut down Sorloth.

And so it happened. The administration of the "Rojiblancos" of Madrid contacted that of Villarreal and after tough negotiations, Sorloth's case ended positively for Atlético. Diego Simeone's team agreed to pay the amount of 30 million euros, while the footballer will sign a contract until 2028. After Alvaro Morata left for Milan, Atlético got a very capable scorer.

Forever... Sorloth on loan

The international Norwegian centre-forward, Sorloth (born 5 December 1995) looks like a gyrologist as so far in his career he has played in several teams and various leagues. He  started in Norway, playing among others in Bodo Glimt and Rosenborg. 8 years ago he went to the Dutch, Groningen. In 2017, he competed successfully in Denmark and Midtylland, which was happy to sell him to the English Crystal Palace the following year for 18 million euros!.

The London club then loaned him out to Gent and Trabzonspor, before selling him for €20,000,000 to RB Leipzig in 2020. He didn't get the length he wanted there either, with Real Sociedad signing him on loan for two years in a row . Therefore, Villarreal bought him for 10 million euros from Leipzig in the summer of 2023, and while he had an impressive season (26 goals - 6 assists) in 41 appearances, they sold him for three times the value of what they bought him for. So both sides win.

Now the tall striker (1.95m.) has the opportunity to show what counts at the international level as Atlético Madrid will also appear in the UEFA Champions League.



Manos Staramopoulos

Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs

Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com

Athens (Greece)