Yannick Carrasco is back in European football at Atletico Madrid, with the Belgium international returning for a second spell in the Spanish capital on a short-term loan deal.
The 26-year-old forward previously spent three seasons with the Rojiblancos between 2015 and 2018.
He recorded 23 goals in 124 games before departing to take on a new challenge in China.
A productive stint has been enjoyed in Asia, with the target found 22 times in 49 CSL appearances for Dalian Yifang.
Talk of a retracting of his steps has, however, never been far away for Carrasco.
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Moves to the Premier League have been mooted at regular intervals, with Arsenal said to have held long-standing interest.
Carrasco will be seeing out the 2019-20 campaign in familiar surroundings, though, with Atletico bringing him back into Diego Simeone’s plans.
A statement released on the club’s official website read: “Yannick Carrasco is a new Atletico de Madrid player after our club and Dalian Professional Football Club reached an agreement over the loan of the Belgian until the end of the current season. The forward passed his medical at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra.
“Born on Sep. 4, 1993 in Ixelles (Belgium), the talented player made his professional debut at AS Monaco when he was 18 years old. He won Ligue 2 in 2013 and his strong performances the following season earned him the move to Atleti in 2015.
“At our club, he played 124 games on both flanks, netting 23 goals and providing 17 assists. He scored the equaliser in the 2016 Champions League final which sent the game to extra-time. Carrasco also scored the first hat-trick of his career at our club, during the 7-1 win over Granada in the 2016-17 season.
“The Belgian moved to China in February 2018, where he’s played for the last two years. There, he has played 52 matches, scoring 24 goals and giving 17 assists.
“The 26-year-old has appeared 41 times for Belgium and netted six goals. He made his debut in March 2015 against Cyprus, the same team he faced in his last international game, in which he scored once and provided two assists. He played in the UEFA Euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup – in which his team finished third – with the Red Devils.
“A skilful, fast and talented player that knows our team returns to Atleti. He can dribble, score and set his team-mates up, making him a threat inside and outside the box.
“Welcome back, Yannick!”
Atletico’s first game with Carrasco back on their books is set to be a derby date with arch-rivals Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
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