Jonathan David is going to Atletico Madrid. The verbal agreement with Juventus is done, the deal is an initial loan with a buy option, and Atletico will cover more than 50 percent of his salary.
That last detail is the one that unlocked it. David arrived at Juventus on a free last summer after five years at Lille and became one of the highest earners in a squad being rebuilt around other people, and a first season in Serie A that did not work left Juventus paying a lot of money for a forward they no longer wanted to build around. Splitting the wages is how a club moves a player it cannot sell outright with two days left.
For Atletico it is a hedge with a purchase clause attached. They have spent the entire window refusing to sell Julian Alvarez to Barcelona, then gave him until Sunday to decide between staying and joining Arsenal, who are still willing to pay a fee reported at around €150 million. Barcelona, told no all summer, signed Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal on Saturday instead.
So Atletico now have a centre forward for either version of this week. If Alvarez stays, they have added a 26-year-old on loan with no obligation. If he leaves, they have his replacement already inside the building and a nine-figure fee to spend on the next one.
David gets what he lost in Turin, which is a club that wants him to be the striker. At Lille he scored consistently enough over five seasons to be one of the most sought-after forwards in Europe on a free transfer. Diego Simeone will ask him to press and to occupy two centre backs on his own, which is closer to that job than the one he has just had.
The window shuts at midnight in Spain on Tuesday.