Jamshedpur FC in talks with Atletico Madrid for potential tie-up

The Spanish giants have previously been associated with Kolkata outfit ATK.

According to reports, La Liga heavyweights Atletico de Madrid are set to get back into Indian football once again, this time with Tata Steel-owned Jamshedpur FC.

ATK (formerly Atletico De Kolkata) were the previous partners of the La Liga giants. The two clubs were allies for three very fruitful seasons, in which the Kolkata outfit won two Indian Super League (ISL) titles. However, after an acrimonious parting of ways between the Kolkata and Madrid outfits, Atletico de Madrid are said to be keen to get back into the Indian footballing circuit and the news could be made official very soon.

The role of the Spanish club would be similar to what they had during their partnership with ATK. The club would help Jamshedpur build on their excellent youth setup by bringing in better coaches and foreign players. The club would also help the Men of Steel with their pre-season preparations.

Jamshedpur FC have a stadium of their of own, the JRD Tata Sports Complex and a 31-year-old Tata Football Academy which has produced talents like Udanta Singh, Robin Singh, Narayan Das and Vinit Rai.

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Jamshedpur have been without a coach since Steve Coppell joined ISL nemesis ATK. The Men of Steel are currently being linked with Antonio Lopez Habas for the head coach role of the side, who was sent by Atletico Madrid to Kolkata in the first season of the ISL.

Recent seasons have seen a growing preference among ISL sides to conduct their pre-season preparations in Spain. During Atletico Madrid's partnership with ATK, the Kolkata outfit also benefitted from their Spanish counterparts, who organized friendly games for the ISL franchise to play in. If Jamshedpur indeed sign a pact with the Spanish giants, a similar situation may arise in the future.

With two pioneers of the game being in cahoots, only good things can be expected from the duo if the deal goes through.