Kevin Gameiro's Imminent Exit Opens Door for Nicola Kalinic to Join Atletico Madrid

With Kevin Gameiro set to leave Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone looks to have turned to Nicola Kalinic as his potential replacement.After failing to assert

With Kevin Gameiro set to leave Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone looks to have turned to Nicola Kalinic as his potential replacement.

After failing to assert himself as a regular starter in the Atletico side, Gameiro's exit from the Wanda Metropolitano has been brewing for weeks and now according to Marca, the Frenchman is edging closer towards a move to Valencia for a fee of around €15m.

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He has spent two seasons in the Spanish capital however only managed 11 starts last season, often playing second fiddle to Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa, and now looks to be moving to their La Liga rivals in an attempt to revive his career at the age of 31.

With one exit imminent, Simeone looks to have already identified his preferred replacement. According to Sky Sports pundit Gianluca Di Marzio, AC Milan's Kalinic is being chased by Atletico in an attempt to fill the void set to be left by the Frenchman.

Like Gameiro, Kalinic looks to have fallen out of favour at the San Siro with the recent arrival of Gonzalo Higuaín from Juventus, and may well be shipped off by the Italian giants in order to help clear space in their squad.

It was reported by Calcio Mercato that negotiations between both parties have already begun and are moving promisingly with Atletico looking to waste no time in replacing Gameiro. 

The Croatian international scored just six goals in 31 Serie A appearances last season, however is now looking for a fresh start and a new challenge with Simeone seemingly set to give the former Blackburn Rovers man just that.