Juventus has shown their determination in their pursuit of Teun Koopmeiners by improving their offer to €59m, including bonuses for the Atalanta player.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, it could be enough for Atalanta to accept. Due to the transfer link, the midfielder, who wanted a move to the Turin club, ruled himself out of Wednesday night’s UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid in Warsaw.
As he is trying to force through the move to Turin, Juve saw their initial proposal of €50m plus €5m in add-ons rejected as it was not close enough to the €60m asking price. Romano reported that Juve tendered an improved bid of €52m plus another €7m in add-ons, which will bring them closer than ever to doing a deal.
According to reports, the Dutch midfielder already agreed to personal terms as early as March, so that will not be an issue. This shows he wanted only Juventus.
The next step is for both clubs to shake hands on the transfer fee and finalize an agreement.
Meanwhile, Atalanta is eyeing Celtic’s Matt O’Riley as the ideal replacement for Koopmeiners. La Dea hopes the Scottish champions will lower their demand for the midfielder.
In a related development, Juventus is still taking a hard line with outcast Federico Chiesa. The winger has been excluded from training with the regular team amid reports that Milan and Roma could show interest.
After it emerged that he is not in Thiago Motta’s plans, the Italian international, who was one of their key players after making the transfer from Fiorentina for a total of €60m, will have to find a new employer before the new season begins.
Juventus hopes to sell him as his contract is set to expire at the end of this season, with no intention of an extension.
Motta has already declared that ‘the decision has been made’ on Chiesa no longer being part of their project for 2024-25. Juve pundit Giovanni Albanese also revealed that this now means forcing him to train separately from the rest of the squad.
Milan and Roma are monitoring the situation. Sky Sport Italia reported that Milan could also make a proposal if the situation remains open at the end of the transfer window. Juventus is looking at a net loss of €15m, a small fee for a player who turns 27 in October and has 51 senior Italy caps.
