Atalanta ‘to target’ Udinese’s Thomas Kristensen, West Ham’s Jean-Clair Todibo an alternative | OneFootball

Thomas Kristensen has emerged as Atalanta’s priority to strengthen the defence, with Jean-Clair Todibo viewed as the alternative.

Calciomercato.com reports that Cristiano Giuntoli wants the Dane to anchor Maurizio Sarri’s backline, and that Udinese will only consider an irresistible offer. Atalanta are ready to offer around €20-25m.

Udinese technical director Gökhan Inler acknowledged there is interest and stressed that, while he remains at the club, the defender is an Udinese player.

Kristensen captained Udinese in a 1-0 win over Barcelona at the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup.

The pursuit comes as Atalanta reshape their defence, with captain Berat Djimsiti heading to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Diriyah. Sarri wants a defender to imprint his style on a unit crafted over years by Gian Piero Gasperini, then Ivan Jurić and Raffaele Palladino.

The 198cm centre-back is favoured, a player Giuntoli has long admired from his Juventus days, but the price remains the hurdle.

Should costs rise, Atalanta could pivot to Todibo, who is set to leave West Ham after relegation. That move carries different obstacles, notably Premier League wages and competition from Juventus. For now, Kristensen tops the Bergamo shortlist.

Source: Football Italia

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”