Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published Thursday, January 22, 2026, 09:43 / Updated Thursday, January 22, 2026 09:55
Atletico Madrid drew in Istanbul, with Galatasaray (1-1), in a match impeccably led by Istvan Kovacsand looking for reinforcements for the next phase of the competition.
Diego Simeone's team has already ensured their presence in the Champions League play-offs, but they retain a good chance of qualifying directly for the “eighties”. And by the end of this winter mercato, he wants to strengthen himself in midfield and has set his sights on a player from Bayer Leverkusen.
Spanish daily AS and tabloid Bild reveal that the “quilters” want former Dinamo midfielder Aleix Garcia (28 years old) and that they have set as their goal to complete the transfer by January 31. “They want him now!” headlines Bild, who also found out the amount that Diego Simeone offers to the Germans: 25 million euros, the money down, in a single installment.
Atletico want Aleix Garcia to replace Conor Gallagher's departure to Tottenham
Aleix Garcia was Leverkusen's best player in their 0-2 draw with Olympiakos in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Iberian midfielder also established a record for this season of the competition: 141 contacts with the ball.
Why does Atletico want Garcia? He needs a midfield replacement for English international Conor Gallagher (25), transferred last week to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League for a fee of 40 million euros.
Aleix Garcia played in all 27 official matches played by Bayer Leverkusen in 2025 – 2026
The former Dynamo player has a contract with Bayer Leverkusen until 2029, and Bild writes that it will be difficult for Atletico to come to terms with Bayer Leverkusen's bosses at only 25 million:
“It is unlikely that the club will let go of one of its most important players in the middle of the season. To get him from the pharmacists though, Madrid will have to up the ante.”
Garcia has participated in all 27 official matches played by Bayer Leverkusen this season, starting 25 of them. He was transferred to the Bundesliga from FC Girona in 2024 for 18 million euros. At Dinamo, the midfielder played from October 2020 until January 2021.
