Atlético de Madrid's bid to sign Oblak is finally coming to a close. It has been far more difficult than expected, but the 'rojiblancos' are confident Benfica will finally budge and give in to their demands. At long last, talks seem to have given way to real action and a transfer deal is close to being signed. Should reason prevail, the Slovenian keeper will soon join ranks with Cholo Simeone's team.

Endless phone calls, faxes, and negotiations between the respective representatives of both clubs have done nothing to convince Luis Filipe Vieira to give his approval. So much so that Miguel Ángel Gil took the bull by the horns last Friday and decided to meet him face-to-face in an effort to twist the Benfica chairman's arm and clarify the points that seemed to be holding the deal back.

So the Atlético CEO set off for Lisbon, where he met with Luis Filipe Vieira. Their meeting went on into the small hours but, in the end, the two men managed to see eye-to-eye and Oblak looks set to sign for the Madrilenian club.

Gil Marín wanted to impress on Vieira that it would be wiser for both clubs to reach an agreement for a similar amount rather than pay the player's buyout clause directly, and this was the formula that they hit on. He also made it clear that at no time did Atlético interfere and try to make the player renege on his obligations to Jorge Jesús's team but, in fact, they did quite the opposite.