Atletico Madrid Close to Completing €20M Transfer for Atalanta Defender

According to ESPN, Atletico Madrid are on the verge of securing a deal for Atalanta left-back — Matteo Ruggeri with a transfer fee of €20 million including bonuses.

The 22-year-old defender has made 99 appearances in Serie A for Atalanta — contributing nine assists from the left-back position. Ruggeri has also represented Italy U-21 team 16 times, with his last appearance in the U-21 European Championship semifinals in Slovakia.

Atletico previously considered other targets — Andy Robertson from Liverpool and Lucas Digne from Aston Villa, but ultimately decided to focus on acquiring Ruggeri.

Los Rojiblancos are also active in the transfer market — having reached an agreement with Real Betis for Johnny Cardoso and are in discussions with Villarreal regarding Alex Baena to strengthen Diego Simeone’s squad for next season.