Atalanta Favor Bologna Staple in Search for a Defender

Atalanta have Jhon Lucumì in their crosshairs to bolster their rearguard in January, but they’ll have to empty their coffers to sway Bologna. The Colombian international has slightly fallen out of favor after an injury. Riccardo Calafiori surpassed him in the defensive pecking order.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Mediaset), the Rossoblù have no intention of selling him. They invested €8M to acquire him from Club Brugge in August 2022. Their request is almost double that sum, €15M.

Lucumì would come in handy for Atalanta for his ability to play either as the anchor of the defense or on its left-hand side. On the other hand, Bologna director Giovanni Sartori, who spent multiple years in Bergamo, tracked him at length before landing him.

Considering the club’s firm stance, only the player making it known he’d like to depart could force them open talks with La Dea.

Our Take on Atalanta, Lucumì, and Bologna

The fit would be marvelous, also factoring in his athleticism. However, the Felsinei might not want to change their squad in January. The chatter will most likely go away once he resumes being a starter. His demotion was only injury-related, and there’s no reason he and Calafiori can’t feature together, with the latter moving to his natural role on the flank. Still, the Bergamaschi could use another left-footed specialist since José Luis Palomino has been MIA.