Manchester City are increasingly being spoken of as a suitor for Marco Palestra. A possible deal could be getting easier.
The wing-back has been a shining light for Italian football this season. Atalanta loaned him out to Cagliari last summer and the move has proved vital in the player’s development.
Even if clubs wanted Palestra before the loan, La Dea made the bold call not to part with him permanently.
This has led to a call-up to the national team and more clubs have grown attentive to his situation.
This week,Sport Witness have covered how Enzo Maresca can bring the wing-back to Manchester City. He is a big admirer of the Atalanta talent and would make him an important summer target.
Now, it seems like Palestra’s future can indeed lie in England.
Inter don’t want auction
Il Giorno – relayed byFCInter1908, make it clear that Inter Milan view the 21-year-old as a key signing. This will depend on whether Denzel Dumfries departs or not, as he has an affordable release clause of €25m in his contract.
Despite that, Manchester City are ‘in the lead’ for Palestra. One reason is Atalanta’s price tag of €40m.
Maresca’s future club won’t have problems affording that. Inter can end up dropping out of the chase altogether.
If Dumfries doesn’t leave, they may not be in the picture for the signing. The reasons are financial, as they won’t be able to cough up anything around €40m for Palestra.
The Italian champions also don’t want to take part in an auction for the wing-back. This is a strategy that will only help Atalanta, who have become the masters of creating auctions for their assets in recent years.
Our take: English competition can rise
Palestra’s value has reached a point where Italian clubs won’t be able to afford permanent deals. Atalanta are under no obligation to accept initial loans or discounted deals either.
This is an advantage for Manchester City, but English competition can increase for Palestra.
That is what Atalanta would attempt to encourage as well, with Arsenal and Tottenham already linked with the youngster.
Palestra is represented by Alessandro Lucci, who helped clients like Riccardo Calafiori and Dejan Kulusevski move to England.