Atalanta drop O’Riley and ready to close for Samardzic | OneFootball

Atalanta have decided to drop Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley and instead can conclude their swoop for Udinese and Serbia international star Lazar Samardzic.

O’Riley had been their first choice to replace Juventus-bound Teun Koopmeiners, but the Scottish club’s decision to turn down offers up to €27m made them lose patience.

Instead, they turned towards a player who is already familiar with Serie A and available at a cheaper fee.

Samardzic is also younger, having turned 22 in February, and has 11 senior caps for Serbia.

Atalanta plump for Samardzic

According to multiple sources, the Serbian is going to be left out of the Udinese squad for this weekend’s Serie A opening fixture against Bologna, suggesting the move is imminent.

The cost of the operation should be €20m plus add-ons to reach the €25m asking price.

One has to be cautious when it comes to Samardzic, as he has been on the verge of transfers before only for them to collapse over personal terms, most notably with Inter last season.