The process of hammering out the finer points of the deal with Atlético de Madrid has been going on for several months, but there is agreement on the basics: there can be no more delays to the new stadium and the 2017/18 season remains the target for the move. Miguel Ángel Gil, Atlético's CEO, and Carlos Slim, the majority shareholder of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, have reached an agreement (though not yet official) for the Mexican to inject the amount of cash required for the works to be completed through one of his financial institutions.

It is not a case of Slim crawling out from under the woodwork. He has had an excellent relationship with the Rojiblancos outfit for some time, and in fact was hoping to become a shareholder. However, in 2014 he became the largest shareholder in FCC, the company through which Atlético and the Madrid city council formalised the sale of the Vicente Calderón in 2009, as well as the construction of the new stadium. The magnate shelled out over €500 million to take a 26% stake in the company, giving him an even bigger share than Esther Koplowitz.