Atletico Madrid announce sale of defender to La Liga side

Atletico Madrid left-back Javi Galan will bring to an end his 2.5-year stint at the club once the January transfer window opens. A deal has been agreed for the veteran defender to leave for Osasuna.

Galan, 31, will move to Osasuna for a fee of €500k, as confirmed by the club. However for every season that Los Rojillo remain in La Liga and Galan remains with the club from Pamplona,  a further €500k will be paid to Atletico. His current contract will run until the end of the season.

Looks like we beat Santa Claus at delivering gifts.#LetsGoRojillos

— C. A. OSASUNA (@osasuna_en) December 24, 2025

Galan: Out of favour at Atletico Madrid

After enjoying something of a rejuvenation last season under Simeone, Galan had again fallen out of favour at Atletico Madrid. This season he has made seven appearances, but those outings amounted to just 313 minutes. Over the course of the season, David Hancko and Matteo Ruggeri have been preferred to Galan by Simeone.

Rayo Vallecano have already sounded out Carlos Martín.

The player is open to the move, but the final decision lies with Atlético Madrid, who must decide whether to loan him out.@pvilla98/@RadioMARCA pic.twitter.com/a4D4wRCZ3n

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) December 24, 2025

Galan’s career at Atletico

Arriving from Celta Vigo in 2023 for a fee of €5m as one of the best attacking left-backs in Spain, Galan has struggled to replicate that form in Simeone’s system. After spending much of the first six months of his time at the Metropolitano on the bench, he moved on loan to Real Sociedad for the second half of his first season.

Last year he did enjoy more game time, and at one stage was Simeone’s preferred option. In total, he has made 56 appearances for Atletico, contributing seven assists.

Help for Alessio Lisci’s Osasuna

Galan will head to El Sadar, where Sporting Director Braulio Vazquez has admitted that the current Osasuna squad is short of resources. Galan is the first piece of the ‘work that needed to be done’ in January, as Alessio Lisci’s side look for improvement. Los Rojillo sit 12th currently, and are only six points off a potential European spot in 7th, but are also only three points clear of the relegation zone. Osasuna have spent most of the season looking down rather than up, and Galan will provide veteran competition for Abel Bretones and Juan Cruz on the left flank.

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