Atlético Madrid have resolved to almost totally bar agents from their Cerro del Espino training complex.

Obviously representatives wouldn't be prevented from attending youth games, which anyone from the general public can go to provided they have paid for a ticket, but rather the idea is to stop them meddling in day-to-day life at the club and the academy in the medium to long term.

Any regular visitors to the training ground in recent years will have seen an increasing number of agents and hangers-on making the most of the open-doors policy. They make themselves at home, watch training sessions, wait for their clients and often have underhand conversations about other players - whether or not they represent them - seemingly without even worrying about who else they are within earshot of.

Restricting agents' access will naturally be impossible unless a system is in place to keep track of all comings and goings. The club is currently putting together a plan to this end, requiring all arrivals to identify themselves and allowing the security services to act in the event of unwanted visitors. Agents wishing to enter the training ground would have to have specific business to attend to and perhaps have to register an appointment in advance.