Fresh doubt cast over Atletico Madrid renewal with three months remaining on deal | OneFootball

The future of Reinildo Mandava is far more uncertain than it seemed a few days ago. After a report that the Mozambique international was on the verge of hitting an automatic contract extension objective, fresh doubt has been cast over the terms of his deal.

Last week it was asserted that Reinildo would earn a year-long extension to his current deal, which expires this year, if he were to feature in 50% of Atletico Madrid’s games this season. Reinildo made his 28th appearance of the season on Saturday, and Los Rojiblancos will play a maximum of 55 or 56 games this season, depending on their Copa del Rey semi-final result. That in theory would have secured his future.

Image via Marca

However Marca say that clause was contingent on a minimum of 45 minutes being played in each appearance in order to count towards that figure. Currently that has only been the case in 17 of his 28 appearances, and thus the 31-year-old is virtually out of the running to achieve that clause. With a maximum of 11 games left, Reinildo would need to play at least a half in every single game before the end of the season. If it includes the Club World Cup, Atletico could play a further seven games, which would put the total at 62 or 63, but would still require him to feature in at least 14 of 18 games, something that seems unlikely.

It means that Los Colchoneros will have to sit down at the negotiating table in order to keep Reinildo. Left-back is reportedly a priority position for Atletico this summer, but Javi Galan is also not assured of his future. Previously Reinildo has been linked to Barcelona as a free agent, but that looks increasingly clear due to the form of Gerard Martin. It is not yet clear what his or Atletico’s intentions are for next season.