Diego Simeone leads a training session ahead of Atletico Madrid's season-opening match against Valencia. EPA
Diego Simeone leads a training session ahead of Atletico Madrid's season-opening match against Valencia. EPA

Diego Simeone wants Atletico Madrid to resist PSG offer for 'important' Filipe Luis



Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is determined to keep hold of full-back Felipe Luis after French champions Paris Saint-Germain submitted a bid for the Brazil international.

Luis, 33, has been Atletico's first-choice left-back since 2010, although he spent one season at Chelsea before rejoining the Spanish side in 2015.

According to report in Spanish newspaper Marca, the Brazilian was disappointed not to start his side's 4-2 Uefa Super Cup win over rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday and has asked Atletico to accept the offer from PSG.

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However, Simeone has reiterated Luis' importance to his plans and has made his thoughts perfectly clear on any potential transfer.

"All I can say about Filipe Luis is that the player knows how much we love him and how important he is for us," Simeone told a news conference ahead of Atletico's Primera Liga opener against Valencia on Monday.

"Tomorrow he will play and I'm only thinking about tomorrow's game and how important it is. I always want the best for the players who have given us so much and obviously I don't want Filipe to leave."

The speculation surrounding Luis on the eve of the Primera Liga season has added further support to Simeone's views that the Spanish transfer window should close at the start of the new domestic campaign, similar to the Premier League in England and Italy's Serie A.

"It would be better for coaches to work knowing that the transfer market ends before the league starts. It's not easy to work when there are still lots of things going on," added the Argentine.

"In other countries they have taken the initiative to shorten the transfer window and that makes everyone more calm, especially footballers who might have options to leave in their head."

Atletico finished runners-up last season and their game with Valencia, who came fourth, is the most intriguing of the opening round of fixtures in Spain.

"We'll be facing one of the most important teams in the league, a team who have never stopped growing since [manager] Marcelino arrived," Simeone said.

"They play in a similar way to us, there are obvious differences between the coaches but a lot of similarities in the two teams' structures.

"We expect a great atmosphere, a lot of people in the stadium and a lot of enthusiasm. It's a great occasion and we hope it will be a great game."

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