Ivo Grbic (24 years old) is closer to being Atlético's new goalkeeper. The Croatian goalkeeper has arrived in Madrid To carry out the PCR tests, pass the pertinent medical examination with the doctors of the rojiblanco team and later sign the contract that will join the entity for the next four seasons. The details of the negotiations are not known, as Atlético wanted to include the team's goalkeeper, Dos Santos, in the operation to make it cheaper (the initial price of the transfer would be between 4.5 and 6 million depending on the famous variables).
Grbic's signing was outlined since last week, when the Croatian press reported that negotiations between the clubs were about to close in the absence of only the typical fringes. He is a young goalkeeper, of great stature (1.96 meters), with a great future projection and that he has played a fundamental role so that his team, the Zagreb Lokomotiva, has qualified to play the Champions League preview by finishing second in his league. He has been competing in the first division of Croatia since December 2014, so he already has a certain trajectory despite his young age. Has played 74 games in two seasons with his current club in which has conceded 79 goals and has left his clean sheet 22 times. His good role has made the Croatian coach has called him up to play for his country's senior team.
The Croatian goalkeeper will have the task of replace Adam as Oblak's substitute. Atlético's idea is that be formed day by day with the Slovenian so that, if at any given moment he decides to leave, the mattress makers have a change of guarantees at home. At first, his role will be to be the goalkeeper in the Cup and cover the eventual losses of Oblak due to injury or sanction.
The fact that Atlético is betting on a young and semi-unknown goalkeeper as a substitute for the Slovenian represents a change in trend. And it is that in recent years the rojiblancos they had preferred a more veteran and consolidated profile For this task. Since Oblak's arrival at the club in the 2014-15 season, the goalkeepers who have shared the position with him have been Moyá and Adán. First arrived at Atlético at the same time as the Balkan and I was 30 years old when he signed from Getafe. He left in February 2018 to the Royal Society and that summer Adam, from Betis, arrived, with 31 years. Both of them they came with a lot of baggage in the First Division and that made them warranty replacement from the first moment. However, this summer Adam ends contract and has decided to find a team where he can play more and He is expected to continue his career at Sporting de Portugal. To replace it, Atlético has opted for a bet for the future that allows them to have a goalkeeper for many years and a possible replacement in the medium term for Oblak.