Atletico Madrid pounce on Feyenoord defender after Al-Nassr's controversial decision to back out of agreement at last minute

Hancko has been targeted by Atletico as a replacement for the injured Jose Gimenez, Algemeen Dagblad reports. The centre-back had reached a personal agreement with Al-Nassr, and the Saudi Arabian club had also struck a deal with his club Feyenoord, but the move collapsed at the final moment.

Atletico are actively seeking defensive reinforcements as coach Diego Simeone aims to rebuild his squad after the departures of Reinildo, Cesar Azpilicueta and Axel Witsel, who often filled in at centre-back before his release this summer.  After being denied in their pursuit of Tottenham’s Cristian Romero, the club have turned their attention to Chelsea defender Renato Veiga as well as Hancko. They have also secured the signing of Almeria right-back Marc Pubill, beating competition from AC Milan and Wolves.

Al-Nassr's decision to abandon the deal with Hancko as the player turned up to undergo a medical sparked an angry reaction from Feyenoord, with a spokesperson describing it as "scandalous".

Hancko will hope to secure a move to Atletico as the Spanish club will represent a step up for the Slovakian defender.