Atalanta ‘will sell’ Giorgio Scalvini next summer amid interest from Premier League giants Manchester United, former Italy international Angelo di Livio predicts.
Manchester United, when stumping up an initial £64 million to sign Rasmus Hojlund this summer, might have inadvertently raised their price tag of another of their transfer targets.
Atalanta, according to Tuttomercatoweb, have been emboldened by the size of Hojlund’s price-tag. So much so that anyone looking to take Giorgio Scalvini from La Dea in 2024 will now have to part with upwards of £40 million.
Such a fee would require quite the investment in a 19-year-old centre-half who has only been playing first-team football since 2021. A lack of top-level experience did not put United off Hojlund, however, with the Dane’s former Atalanta team-mate Scalvini also an object of their affections.
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Di Livio, meanwhile, would be surprised if the 6ft 4ins colossus is still wearing blue and black in 12 months’ time, Atalanta having established themselves as a something of a ‘selling club’ where everyone has their price.
“I believe that Atalanta will sell Scalvini ,” Di Livio tells Calciomercato’s TV Play Twitch channel. “Because they are used to this type of deal.
“Just look at how much they managed to earn from Hojlund. Without a shadow of a doubt, Scalvini has a bright future.”
Scalvini, who has been likened to United icon Jaap Stam, was scouted by Erik ten Hag’s side during Italy’s clash with Ukraine during the September international break (90Min). And a reported £43 million price-tag – while hefty – renders Scalvini more affordable than the likes of Marc Guehi and Goncalo Inacio.
The latter protected by a £52 million release clause in his Sporting Lisbon contract, albeit one that may still be worth triggering.
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“Goncalo Inacio is a very important player in the Sporting team,” the former Porto, Braga and Olympiakos man Paulo Sousa tells Sport TV.
“Inacio has been scoring goals. That’s why the player’s name has been talked about by several European clubs. And why 60 million euros is a bargain.”
“Just remember what Manchester United have spent on central defenders. For me, Goncalo Inacio is better (than them).”
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