Atalanta star Teun Koopmeiners hopes to complete a move to Italian rivals Juventus in the coming days. The midfielder has apparently even voluntarily missed training sessions with his current club in order to force the transfer. His current contract with the reigning Europa League winners does not expire until 2027.

Koopmeiners has been open about his desire for a change of scenery in recent months. In fact, he told Dutch news outlet telegraaf.nl back in April that he wanted to leave Atalanta this summer. The midfielder even claimed that he nearly joined Napoli in 2023, but the two Serie A sides ultimately could not agree to a fee. He then even asserted that he “would endure rain for some clubs in England.”

One English club in particular that has been linked with Koopmeiners is Liverpool. The Reds have yet to make a summer signing under new head coach Arne Slot. However, Liverpool is reportedly in the market for a new midfielder. Despite this, an official bid for the Atalanta star has not yet been submitted. As a result, the Dutchman is seemingly close to a switch to Juve.

Atalanta coach claims club feels “blackmailed” by situation

While Koopmeiners has been open about his future, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini is claiming that the club feels “blackmailed” by the potential transfer. The veteran coach also told Italian newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo that Koopmeiners has already agreed personal terms with the Old Lady.

“The situation with him was going very well until last week, then Koopmeiners decided to go to Juventus,” said Gasperini. “He already has an agreement, he feels stressed and has decided not to play or train with us anymore.”

“With this attitude he cannot be useful to the team, nor to his teammates. The club therefore has taken a very firm line, because we feel blackmailed by this situation. It’s different from the other times in which Atalanta has sold valuable players to bigger teams.”

“I’m already ready [for the new season], on the starting blocks, and I wouldn’t want to have to drag along those who are still celebrating last season. We are now in a much more difficult situation than we could have foreseen.”

Atalanta will lower demands to sell Koopmeiners to Juventus

Atalanta has reportedly slapped an asking price of around $65 million for Koopmeiners. The club was also previously in no rush to sell the star and willing to hold out until they received the full fee. However, Juve was willing to go as high as $50 million recently.

News of the midfielder essentially pushing his way out of Atalanta could very well make La Dea lower their demands. A compromise of around $60 million may be enough to get the transfer done in time so that Atalanta can find a suitable replacement before the transfer window ends.

Liverpool, on the other hand, has seemingly switched their attention to another midfield option. The Reds are reportedly attempting to pry Martin Zubimendi away from Real Sociedad. The Spanish midfielder has previously resisted several transfers to big teams in the past.

Nevertheless, he may now finally leave his boyhood club due to the departure of two other stars. Robin Le Normand recently joined Atletico Madrid and Arsenal is apparently closing in on Mikel Merino.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.