Atlético extend Lodi’s contract to 2026, send him on loan to Nottingham Forest

Update, Aug. 29 Atlético and Nottingham Forest have confirmed the transfer: Lodi will head to the Premier League on loan for €5 million up front. Forest have a €30 million option to buy the left-back next summer.

Atleti extended the player’s contract to 2026 before loaning him out as a way to recoup the year he’ll spend in England — and, likely, as a way to defer a portion of his salary if he returns.

The original story is below.

Atlético Madrid left-back Renan Lodi could leave the club in the final days of the summer transfer window, with multiple reports suggesting the Rojiblancos will attempt to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Sergio Reguilón to replace him.

Lodi had reportedly been assured that he was a part of Diego Simeone’s plans for the 2022/23 season, but the coach has selected Saúl Ñíguez and Yannick Carrasco to start the season’s first two games at left wing-back. The Brazilian didn’t play a minute of Atlético’s 3-0 win at Getafe or the 2-0 home loss to Villarreal on Sunday.

French club Nice and newly-promoted Premier League side Nottingham Forest are exploring whether to take Lodi on loan after several other clubs (including Juventus, Newcastle, and Manchester City) expressed interest in the player. Atlético want at least €5 million up front and would like to include a €35 million obligation to buy in a potential deal for the talented defender.

The option for Lodi to sign for Nottingham Forest seems to be advancing the quickest — perhaps unsurprisingly, as the “Tricky Trees” have already made 16 signings this summer.

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

If Lodi leaves in search of guaranteed minutes, Atleti are looking to bring in a direct positional replacement, despite a glaring need at center-back and the presence of three players (Carrasco, Saúl, and Reinildo Mandava) who already feature in Simeone’s plans on the left flank. This is where the Reguilón interest comes in.

A Madrid native who came up through Real Madrid’s academy, Reguilón is not in Spurs boss Antonio Conte’s plans for this season and is on the market. Marca and Diario AS have reported that sporting director Andrea Berta is the one working to bring the 25-year-old back to the Spanish capital in a separate loan deal.