Atletico Madrid signs Sime Vrsaljko on 5-year contract

Atletico Madrid announced Tuesday the club has signed right full-back Sime Vrsaljko out of Sassuolo, locking up the Croatia international to a five-year contract through 2021.

Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero was quite pleased with the signing, praising the man who played a part in Croatia's Euro 2016 campaign.

"Vrsaljko is a player with a huge projection, although he has already demonstrated his quality in a championship as competitive as the Italian Serie A," Caminero said in a statement on the club's website. "It perfectly fulfils our idea of incorporating players who increase the competition within the group and our team’s level. He is very versatile, since he can play in both sides, which offers us interesting alternatives."

Vrsaljko, linked with the likes of Napoli and AC Milan, will now compete with Juanfran for a starting role in Diego Simeone's back four but it's not too daunting a prospect for the 24-year-old, who says that while "playing in Atletico is a big challenge," he's "very happy" nonetheless.

Vrsaljko made 25 appearances for Sassuolo last season, recording four assists from out wide. He appeared in two matches at Euro 2016, starting on the left against Spain.