ATLETICO MADRID HAVE confirmed both Nicolas Gaitan and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco have left the club to pursue their career in the Chinese Superleague.
Both midfielders have struggled to make an impact at the Wanda Metropolitana this season, with Gaitan in particular largely overlooked by coach and compatriot Diego Simeone.
Neither of the players took part in Atletico’s last outing, a 5-2 thrashing of Sevilla that keeps the Colchoneros in second place behind Barcelona in La Liga.
And after strong interest from Daliam Yifang, the decision was taken by Atletico to release the pair to the Chinese club, for an undisclosed fee.
“Carrasco and Gaitan will join Dalian Yifang on a permanent deal. Best of luck in China!” the club wrote on its official Twitter account on Monday.
While Carrasco and Gaitan were only intermittent presences for Atletico in 2017-18, their departure leaves Simeone with a threadbare squad going into the final months of the season.
.@CarrascoY21 and @nicogaitan will join Dalian Yifang on a permanent deal.
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) February 26, 2018
Best of luck in China!
➡ https://t.co/M9mmraDNKM
➡ https://t.co/PVytuVRpcp pic.twitter.com/cWOCoGzY8s
Having also sold the likes of Matias Kranevitter, Theo Hernandez, Luciano Vietto and Augusto Fernandez, the Spanish side have just 17 outfield players available as they continue to fight not just in La Liga but also in the Europa League.
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