Football
ESPN staff 6y

Thomas Lemar set to join Atletico Madrid as deal in principle agreed with Monaco

Atletico Madrid reached a deal in principle to sign France international Thomas Lemar from Monaco on Tuesday.

Both clubs announced a "preliminary agreement" on a transfer, with Atletico saying the clubs will work together to complete the details. Marca reported Atletico would pay between €70-80 million for the 22-year-old, and that he would sign for five years.

Lemar, a winger, is with France in Russia for the World Cup. He has scored three goals in 12 matches with the national team since his November 2016 debut.

Sources told ESPN FC that Atletico star Antoine Griezmann worked actively to bring Lemar to the club and is excited to play with him. Some reports had pointed to Lemar's arrival as a key factor in whether Griezmann would return to the club or leave for Barcelona this summer.

Griezmann said earlier on Tuesday that he had made up his decision on his future but would not reveal his plans, though sources have since said all signs point to him returning to Atletico.

Lemar, who joined Monaco from Caen in 2015, was a key player for the principality club when they reached the Champions League semifinals in the 2016-17 season.

After scoring nine times in Ligue 1 as Monaco won the title a year ago, he scored three goals and added 10 assists in all competitions this past season.

He had been linked with moves to Liverpool and Arsenal over the past year but now appears set to move to Spain rather than England.

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