Atletico miss out on Quaresma

Atletico Madrid saw a deal to sign Ricardo Quaresma collapse this month.

Atletico Madrid saw a deal to sign Ricardo Quaresma collapse this month, but will attempt to sign him in time for next season, according to the Spanish club's president.

Miguel Angel Gil Marin has revealed that an agreement was reached with Porto to sign the winger before pressure to prevent the move put an abrupt end to talks.

"The signing of Quaresma was a done deal," said the Atleti supremo. "But it collapsed due to the social and media pressure on the president with the team qualifying to the second phase of the Champions League.

"We will resume negotiations so that he can join us at the end of this season."

Despite being denied during the winter transfer window, Gil Marin has vowed to re-open negotiations to try and sign Quaresma during the summer.

"His arrival here, though, will depend on what Porto decide," he continued. "Atletico de Madrid made a great effort to make the deal happen and we are in a position to do the same again.

"If (Jorge Nuno) Pinto da Costa (the Porto president) wants him to join us, then he will join us."

Gil Marin has already mapped out his end-of-season rebuilding programme and believes that only two new faces will be needed if three of Atletico's long-term injury victims recover fully.

"Our intention, if Maxi Rodriguez, Martin Petrov and Miguel are fully fit, is to bring in a central midfielder and a player with the profile of Quaresma in the summer," he added.

"We would really like it to be Quaresma of course, but if not then we shall look for another player like him."

After beginning his career at Sporting, Quaresma made a big money move to Barcelona in 2003, but after just one season he grew disgruntled and announced that he could not stay at the club under Frank Rijkaard.

Despite being reluctant to return to Portugal he eventually agreed and joined Porto as part of the deal that saw Deco move in the opposite direction.