Newcastle are one of several clubs that have made an enquiry for Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, according to reports in Italy.
This comes from Calcio Mercato, who claim the 25-year-old has attracted interest from a host of Premier League and Serie A clubs, including Liverpool, Napoli and Juventus, along with ourselves.
However, it is believed the Italians are yet to be convinced by a January sale and would prefer a summer bidding war instead for the in-form Dutchman, who has been a pivotal player since sealing a €12m move from AZ Alkmaar in 2021.
The report states that a starting point for Koopmeiners would be a fee in excess of €40m (£34m), as previous offer of this value from Juventus left the club “disappointed.” The Guardian report that a fee of around €45m (£38.5m) may turn Atalanta heads, but it remains to be seen if we are in a position to spend that sort of money this month.
Newcastle are in the market for a midfielder after an injury to Joelinton, who is also at the centre of a contract stalemate and may be sold if there’s no solution over the coming months. Koopmeiners is the second Atalanta midfielder to be linked with a move to Tyneside in recent days, with head of recruitment Steve Nickson in Bergamo last week to watch Brazil’s Ederson.
Koopmeiners has scored in each of Atalanta’s last three matches and has eight goals and four assists this season. He is a regular set-piece taker and is a Dutch international, playing 20 times for the Oranje.
He has played a variety of midfield roles and is equally suited to sitting in front of the defence or operating as a number 8. He has even played a few games out wide for Atalanta this season.
