Atletico Madrid newcomer Thomas Lemar has revealed that France teammates Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Hernandez convinced him to join the club.
Lemar, 22, enjoyed World Cup success with Les Bleus, though he only managed one appearance in the nation’s concluding Group C match against Denmark, before France ultimately went on to clinch the prestigious trophy.
And now the winger will be returning to pre-season action in the Spanish capital after Diego Simeone’s side reached a preliminary agreement to sign him for a fee in the region of £52m from Monaco last month.
Ahead of his medical with Los Colchoneros on Friday morning, Lemar revealed that he consulted Atleti duo Greizmann and Hernandez about whether the Metropolitano Stadium was the right destination for him.
“I chose Atleti because I like the club and I’ve been following the team for a while,” Lemar told the club’s official website, via Goal.
“Once the opportunity arose, it didn’t take long for me to make my decision.
“Atleti have been interested in me for quite some time and after what Antoine and Lucas told me, I really wanted to come.
“I’m very happy to be in Madrid and I can’t wait to meet my team-mates.
“I want this [chapter] to start in the best possible manner. I can’t wait to start.”
Despite only featuring for 90 minutes across the tournament in Russia, Lemar was given extended recovery time, though he cut short his holiday to undergo a medical at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra and begin preparations for the new season.
Lemar was instrumental for Monaco in the club’s title-winning season in 2017, scoring nine Ligue 1 goals and registering 11 assists across 34 appearances in the league.
Naturally the Guadeloupe-born forward has been linked with a number of high-profile European clubs after producing wonders on the French Riviera, but Atletico Madrid have won the race, and have also added winger Gelson Martins to their ranks as he signed from Sporting CP this week.
The post Thomas Lemar: Why I chose to join Atletico Madrid appeared first on Squawka News.
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