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Atletico Madrid sign Croatia defender Sime Vrsaljko from Sassuolo

Croatia defender Sime Vrsaljko has left Sassuolo to sign a five-year deal with Atletico Madrid.

After the transfer was completed on Monday, the 24-year-old tied his future to the Spanish club until 2021.

Vrsaljko moved to Genoa from Dinamo Zagreb in 2013, then went on to Sassuolo a year later.

"Playing in Atletico is a big challenge for me, I'm very happy," he told Atletico's official website.

Vrsaljko played for Croatia in this summer's European Championship, first coming on as a stoppage-time substitute in a draw with Croatia, and then starting at left-back in a win over Spain.

"Vrsaljko is a player with a huge projection, although he has already demonstrated his quality in a championship as competitive as the Italian Serie A," Atletico director Jose Luis Caminero said.

"It perfectly fulfils our idea of incorporating players who increase the competition within the group and our team's level.

"He is very versatile, since he can play in both sides, which offers us interesting alternatives."