Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners has skipped studies to move away from the Italian club, his coach revealed.
Rumours of a £45m exit from Bergamo have abounded since Koopmeiners helped them win the Europa League last season, with Liverpool tightly connected while Arne Slot signed his first new signing.
However, it is Juventus that are in pole position for the Dutchman and Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini stated that the player had already agreed to move to Turin, so he feels “blackmailed. “
“The situation with him was going very well until last week, when the player moved to Juventus,” Gasperini revealed to local newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo.
“He already has an agreement, he feels pressure and no longer has to play or exercise with us.
“With this attitude he cannot help the team or his teammates. The club has followed a very corporate line, because we feel blackmailed by this situation.
“It’s different to the times when Atalanta sold valuable players to bigger teams.
“I’m in a position [for the new season], in the headlines, and I wouldn’t need to coach those who are still celebrating last season. Now we are in a much more complicated scenario than before. You may have simply anticipated it.
Liverpool are reportedly set to sign a new midfielder and are leading the race to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.