Atletico Madrid announce signing of midfielder Elias

MADRID - Spanish giants Atletico Madrid announced Friday the signing of Brazilian international midfielder Elias from Corinthians, for an undisclosed fee.

Elias, 25, will fly into Madrid Monday to undergo medical checks and to sign a four-year contract. He will be eligible to play for Atletico from Jan 1.

According to media reports, Atletico are also close to signing Brazilian defender Miranda, 26, from Sao Paulo.

In addition, they are considering off-loading veteran winger Simao in the winter transfer window, and replacing him with Osasuna’s Juanfran.

Atletico are sixth in La Liga, having made an inconsistent start. On Thursday they were eliminated from the Europa League, the competition they won last season.