Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of Álex Baena from Villarreal on a five-year deal, with the midfielder set to stay on the Wanda Metropolitano till June 2030.
Softfootball understands that each golf equipment reached an settlement for the switch of the 23-year-old, who turns into Diego Simeone’s newest reinforcement forward of the 2025/26 La Liga marketing campaign.
It was additionally introduced on the Atletico Madrid’s X deal with this afternoon.
¡Bienvenido, Álex Baena! 🤩
Acuerdo con el @VillarrealCF para el traspaso del internacional español, que firma por cinco temporadas con nuestro membership. pic.twitter.com/2ecxeQZcf3
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) July 2, 2025
Earlier than finalising the deal, Baena accomplished his medical on the Vithas-Invictum Excessive-Efficiency Sports activities Drugs Centre on the Arturo Soria College Hospital. He then visited the membership’s places of work on the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, the place he was acquired by CEO Miguel Ángel Gil and formally signed his contract.
Baena joined the Villarreal youth system after becoming a member of the Yellow Submarine in 2011. He made his first-team debut in July 2020 in opposition to Actual Sociedad and has since grown into certainly one of La Liga’s most artistic midfielders.
Baena is thought for his tempo, imaginative and prescient, and sharp passing potential, traits that helped him register a league-high 14 assists final season and can be utilizing the identical talent to assist Madrid compete extensively in La Liga and the Champions League.
Regardless of being naturally right-footed, the midfielder has mastered the utilization of working on the left aspect of midfield and may comfortably fill numerous attacking roles.
He was additionally a part of the Villarreal squad that gained the UEFA Europa League in 2021, earlier than spending the next marketing campaign on mortgage at Girona, the place he performed 45 matches and performed a key position of their promotion to La Liga.
On the worldwide stage, Baena has represented Spain throughout all youth classes and earned his senior debut on September 12, 2023, in opposition to Cyprus — a match through which he scored simply two minutes after approaching. He went on to function in each the UEFA Euro 2024 and the Paris 2024 Olympics, enjoying a significant position in Spain’s Olympic gold medal win, the place he lined up alongside Pablo Barrios in a midfield partnership that can now be rekindled at Atlético.
Beana’s arrival, in the meantime, explains Softfootball’s earlier report on Atletico Madrid’s turn-down of a attainable re-signing of Thomas Partey from Arsenal, regardless of Partey turning into obtainable on a free switch this summer time.
Baena turns into the most recent in a line of strategic signings geared toward reshaping Atlético’s midfield, as Simeone appears to construct a squad able to difficult on all fronts within the new season.
