Dutch international keen to snub Liverpool & Man Utd

Willem Leijgraf

• Updated: 20 Feb 2024 14:16 GMT
• 3 min read

Teun Koopmeiners would prefer to swap Atalanta for Juventus, according to Italian media.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports on Tuesday that the 25-year-old central midfielder, who is also on the wish lists of various Premier League clubs, is said to have expressed his preference for a longer stay in Italy.

Koopmeiners still has a contract until 2027 and Atalanta have set a sky-high asking price, which means that Juventus would have to sell some players to make his arrival possible. Nevertheless, the Bianconeri seem to have the best credentials to facilitate the arrival of Koopmeiners.

If the conditions on the table from Juve are the same as other offers, the 20-time Dutch international would prefer a domestic transfer to the Old Lady rather than a move to England where he is reportedly being eyed by Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Koopmeiners won't come cheap

Interested clubs will need deep pockets to acquire Koopmeiners, who left Dutch side AZ for €14 million in the summer of 2021. Atalanta are said to have slapped a €60m price tag on his head, but Gazzetta anticipates that an amount of around €50m would also be sufficient to pry the midfielder from Bergamo.

Koopmeiners currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €37.8m. It is expected that Juventus will only be able to sign the 25-year-old if they cash in on several players.

The names of talents such as Mattías Soulé, Samuel Iling-Junior and Dean Huijsen have been mentioned as potential candidates to be offloaded, as well as players who are of more value, such as Bremer and Federico Chiesa.

The latter players combine for an ETV of €66.9m. Additionally, Juventus could choose not to renew various expiring contracts and thus free up space in the salary department for Koopmeiners, who could reportedly earn up to €4m per year in Turin.

Van der Vaart advises against transfer

Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart, meanwhile, believes that Koopmeiners should stay at Atalanta. "As a player, you always want more, but when I look at him and his qualities and what I think he is, then I think he is completely in the right place."

"Of course, he will make a move at some point, but I think this is it. And of course, it is a beautiful club he plays for, right? This is absolutely not an insult, but I think: this is it," the ex-Real Madrid and Spurs midfielder said on Ziggo Sports.