Atalanta Transfer Market: The Bosnian Talent to Please Sarri
With the sale of Marco Palestra now complete, Atalanta is ready to make moves in the transfer market across all positions, using part of the funds received from Chelsea. At the top of the Nerazzurri’s wish list is Kerim Alajbegovic, who is currently playing in the World Cup with Bosnia and Herzegovina: Atalanta has launched a bid for the talented attacking winger, valued at around 25 million euros by Bayer Leverkusen. That figure doesn’t seem to deter the Bergamo-based club, which is determined to step up its efforts to beat out competition from Roma and several English clubs.
Alajbegovic has also long been on Milan’s radar; the club had already sent scouts to closely monitor him back in March. The 2007-born player, who burst onto the scene at Salzburg with over ten goals this season, had impressed Rossoneri scouts in the playoff semifinal between Wales and Bosnia, where he set up a goal for Dzeko and converted the decisive penalty kick. However, with Atalanta now pressing hard, the competition is heating up. It’s worth noting that Bayer Leverkusen had sold him to Salzburg in the summer of 2025 for just 2.5 million euros, only to later exercise the 8-million-euro buyback clause to bring him back to the club and secure him with a new five-year contract through 2031: a move that has driven up the player’s market value, but one that does not deter the Bergamo-based club.
Alajbegovic, however, is not the only target for the new Atalanta under Maurizio Sarri. According to rumors circulating in recent weeks, the Nerazzurri are also evaluating Ardon Jashari, a Swiss midfielder coming off a mixed season at Milan but considered a player with potential for a comeback: a deal that, combined with the one for the Bosnian, would bring Dea’s total investment to around 50 million euros—a figure that is no coincidence, as it roughly corresponds to the proceeds from the sale of Palestra to Chelsea.
On the outgoing front, however, the future of Daniel Maldini—who has returned to Bergamo after his loan spell at Lazio—remains to be determined. The son of a legendary player will meet with Sarri at the start of training camp for a one-on-one conversation that promises to be decisive: the player wants more playing time, and both Parma and Sassuolo have already shown interest in him, each willing to guarantee him more minutes on the field. The deal could take shape as a loan with an obligation to buy, but much will depend on the assessment of the new coach, who has already had the opportunity to coach him in the past.
