Napoli’s hopes of landing Teun Koopmeiners have suffered a massive blow after Atalanta deemed their midfielder unsellable. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, La Dea won’t entertain offers for their standout playmaker despite growing interest from the new Serie A champions.
Faced with the virtually inevitable departure of Piotr Zielinski, Napoli are in the market for a new creative midfielder. Al-Ahli submitted a formal proposal for the Poland international on Sunday. Aurelio De Laurentiis is not thrilled about losing the 29-year-old, but that looks like a near-certainty.
Koopmeiners boasts similar characteristics to Zielinski. Known for his playmaking skills, endless work rate, and tremendous shooting power, the 25-year-old perfectly fits the bill. However, Atalanta have no interest in losing another precious first-team star this summer. High-profile exits of Jeremie Boga and Rasmus Hojlund were enough.
Gian Piero Gasperini wants to build a formidable squad to mount a top-four challenge next season. El Bilal Toure, Mitchel Bakker, and Gianluca Scamacca are the newcomers expected to help Atalanta better last season’s fifth-place finish. Among perennial servants, Koopmeiners holds a special place.
Not even the expected arrival of Charles De Ketelaere on loan won’t change their stance. Atalanta heavily relied on the Dutchman’s technical and tactical prowess last season, letting him pull all the strings in the engine room. Koopmeiners repaid that trust with ten goals and four assists in 33 Serie A appearances.
With Atalanta unwilling to negotiate the ex-AZ Alkmaar man’s sale, Napoli will have to find a much-needed midfield reinforcement elsewhere.
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