Benfica's Argentinian player has been chosen to fill the gap at Atlético de Madrid. As soon as it was known that Arda Turan wanted to leave, it was all hands to the pump at Atlético, so much so that it was not long before Nico Gaitán became the club's first choice to replace the departing Turkish star. Commanding a good fee for Turan has made it easier for them to reel in Gaitán .

The Argentine midfielder renewed his contract last November, up until 2018, but this also included a reduction in his release clause to €35 million. That was just the figure they were working around, although Atlético de Madrid obviously tried to reduce it further still. Agreement between Miguel Ángel Gil and Luis Filipe Vieira, the Benfica president, eventually came, no doubt assisted by the fact that Jorge Mendes is the agent in charge of Gaitán's career.

The market merry-go-round creates situations whereby seemingly unconnected events affect each other. Gaitán's future just a few weeks ago seemed to lie with Manchester United, who were also one of the clubs interested in Turan. And it is precisely Manchester United's interest in Turan together with Chelsea's that has made it easier for Atlético to negotiate with Benfica without any rivals with high spending power.