Simeone hails Raspadori amid Atletico exit links
Diego Simeone has praised Giacomo Raspadori amid speculation linking the forward with a move away from Atletico Madrid.
The Italy international joined Los Rojiblancos from Napoli in August, signing a five-year deal.
However, Raspadori has only scored two goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, while starting just once in LaLiga.
The forward has appeared from the bench 10 times for Atletico in the Spanish top flight this season, with only Conor Gallagher (14) and Antoine Griezmann (13) doing so more often.
Raspadori has been linked with a return to Serie A, with Lazio and Roma reportedly interested in securing his services.
"He keeps working. Raspadori has always worked with responsibility since the first day he arrived," Simeone said of his player.
"His commitment, his work, his dedication in how he trains does not indicate anything related to a departure. But this is football, and everything can change from one day to the next.
"We are open, as always, to whatever happens. We'll manage it in the same way, thinking about the next game, which is the most important thing we have."
Atletico, which is fourth in LaLiga, commence 2026 with a trip to Estadio Municipal de Anoeta to face Real Sociedad on Monday (AEDT).
The hosts occupy 16th place on the table after a run of four matches without victory. Their fortunes will be overseen by new head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, who replaced Sergio Francisco last month.
"I start the year with very good energy, as always, with the enthusiasm of being where I want to be and, obviously, thinking about each day as I have done since the first day I arrived," Simeone added.
"We're thinking about Real Sociedad; we don't look beyond one game at a time. We know that our opponents have a new coach who will surely arrive with a lot of enthusiasm. Whenever there is a change, the players always try to give their best for the new coach.
"We have seen how [Pellegrino Matarazzo] worked with his previous teams. That doesn't mean he will follow the same pattern as with his previous teams, but it will be related to what, I imagine, he will see in the Real Sociedad players.
"We will have to play the game where we think we can hurt them."
