Lokomotiva Zagreb goalkeeper Ivo Grbic has turned down a move to West Brom in favour of joining Atletico Madrid, a report from Spanish outlet Marca has claimed.
It was previously reported by The Express and Star that the Baggies were interested in signing Grbic, as they look to add some competition between the posts for club number one Sam Johnstone ahead of their return to the Premier League next season.
However, it appears as though the club will be left frustrated in their pursuit of the 24-year-old, with the latest reports claiming that Grbic is instead set to make the move to Atletico.
West Brom are thought to have held talks with Grbic, who previously worked with Baggies boss Slaven Bilic in the Croatian youth setup, however it seems those links have no come to fruition amid interest from the Spanish giants.
The goalkeeper is now expected to sign a four-year deal at Atletico, securing his future with the Champions League quarter-finalists until the end of the 2023/24 season.
This will of course be disappointing for West Brom, given the fact that Grbic does look to be a ‘keeper who could have kept Johnstone honest between the posts ahead of the return to the top-flight in the coming weeks.
However, you can kind of understand Grbic’s desire to make the move to Atletico, given the opportunities that could provide him with to compete and win silverware at both a domestic and European competition level.
Indeed, with the speculation surrounding the future of Atletico’s current number one Jan Oblak, it will be interesting to see just how much game time Grbic will get if he does make the move to the Spanish capital in the course of the coming weeks and months.
