Atalanta could soon finalise a deal for Malmo defender Anel Ahmedhodzic as they prepare for the departure of Tottenham Hotspur target Cristian Romero, per Calciomercato.
The Serie A side are still deciding whether or not to accept Spurs’ offer for the Argentine centre-half. But La Dea are loath to leave manager Gian Piero Gasperini short of options ahead of the new league season.
Ahmedhodzic has been one step away from leaving Malmo since January and could find a future at the Gewiss Stadium. Atalanta chiefs may even fly to Sweden in the next few hours to hold talks with his Allsvenskan outfit.
Atalanta are prepared to pay €10m (£8.5m) for 22-year-old Ahmedhodzic, who has six-caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also played once for Sweden after representing the nation 40 times at youth level between U16s and U21s.
Ahmedhodzic has previously trained with Nottingham Forest’s academy and played once for the City Ground natives’ first-team in 2016, too. Now, the Malmo native could help Tottenham finally land a deal to sign Romero from Atalanta by moving to Italy.
Tottenham offered Atalanta €55m (£47m) to sign Romero this summer, per TyC Sports. The offer included an upfront €50m (£43m) plus a further €5m (£4m) in add-ons. TyC Sports also claimed La Dea had accepted the bid, but Calciomercato seem to suggest otherwise.
Regardless, Romero seems to want out of the Gewiss Stadium amid Tottenham’s interest in the Atalanta star. Fabrizio Romano claims the 23-year-old will tell the Serie A side to sell him to Spurs as the move to north London is an opportunity he cannot reject. The journalist added that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are still waiting for La Dea to reply to their bid.
Tottenham edge closer to Romero deal as Atalanta swoop for Ahmedhodzic
Tottenham may still be waiting for Atalanta to respond to their latest offer, but are edging closer to signing Romero with the Serie A side swooping for Ahmedhodzic. The Malmo star will help fill the Argentine’s void in Gasperini’s squad and prepare La Dea for the future.
Atalanta will also have plenty available for further additions if they sell Romero for £47m and sign Ahmedhodzic for £8.5m. Especially as the Gewiss Stadium side owe Juventus £14m for Romero, per Goal, having signed him on a two-year loan.
The remaining £24.5m will go a long way to Atalanta landing Gasperini’s top targets to replace Tottenham bound Romero. Calciomercato previously cited Merih Demiral and Sven Botman as the two names Gasperini covets the most. Likely, now, alongside Ahmedhodzic.
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