MADRID — Atletico Madrid reached an agreement to sign Spain striker David Villa from Spanish champion Barcelona Monday, in what could be one of the bargain deals of the closed season. The 31-year-old, Spain's all-time leading scorer, will move for a fee of up to 5.1 million euros ($6.55 million) with Barca reserving 50 percent of the rights over any future transfer. Atletico will pay 2.1 million euros this season, a further 2 million if the player continues to play at the Calderon in the 2014/15 season, and another one million if he extends his contract to 2016, Barca said in a statement. “The agreement and the signing of Villa as a new player at Atletico will be formalized after the player has taken a medical,” Atletico said on its Twitter feed. The arrival of young Brazil forward Neymar at the Nou Camp had threatened to push Villa even further out of the reckoning in Tito Vilanova's side, after a season where he struggled to hold down a regular first team place. With the World Cup Finals looming in Brazil next year, Villa will be keen to make sure he is playing regular football at the highest level. The signing is something of a coup for King's Cup winner Atletico, which was looking for a replacement for Colombia striker Radamel Falcao after he left to join big-spending Monaco. Atletico finished third in La Liga last season and qualified for the Champions League groups stage. — Reuters
