Atletico Madrid need to secure Champions League football next season if they are to hang on to striker Radamel Falcao, club president Miguel Angel Gil
The Colombia forward scored two stunning goals to help Atletico beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday, finishing the tournament as top scorer for the second season in a row, with 12 goals.
Atletico lie fifth in La Liga, two points short of fourth-placed Malaga in the last Champions League qualification berth, and visit relegation-threatened Villarreal in the final round of matches on Sunday.
“If the club don’t manage to qualify for the Champions League they are going to have a problem in terms of income,” Gil Marin told Spanish radio. “Atletico need to be in the top four. If we don’t make it, it will be difficult that he (Falcao) stays.”
Falcao was signed from Porto for £35 million last year after he helped them win the Europa League, and has quickly settled in at the Calderon.
Only Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more La Liga goals than Falcao, but Atletico’s earnings are only around a quarter of Spain’s big two, and their lack of financial clout may force them to cash in on their prize asset.
“(Fernando) Torres went and we carried on winning, and Aguero went and we continued winning,” Gil Marin added
If one of the big European clubs came in with an offer of over £40 million for Falcao, it will be very difficult for Atletico Madrid to turn that kind of money down.