Atalanta Star Midfielder Admits Turning Down Barcelona Was Tough

Highly-rated Atalanta midfielder Lazar Samardzic admitted he turned down Barcelona’s advances before moving to Italy in 2021. The 22-year-old swapped Udinese for the Gewiss Stadium in the summer despite being heavily linked with Milan, Inter, and Napoli in the past 12 months.

However, before he left RB Leipzig to link up with the Friulian outfit three years ago, Samardzic was among the hottest young properties in European football. In addition to Milan, several foreign clubs, including Barcelona, had tried to lure him away from the Red Bull Arena.

“I started at Hertha Berlin and the experience at Leipzig was incredible because they have everything a young player could need,” the Atalanta midfielder told Cronache di Spogliatoio, as reported by TuttoAtalanta. “At that time, I already received interest from Barcelona and Milan.

“I remember Patrick Kluivert, who at the time was in charge of the Barcelona youth academy, came to visit our family home. We were also invited to the Milan training center, but with my family, we decided it was better to wait.

“It was tough turning down Barcelona, especially as my idol was Lionel Messi and my first jersey was a Barca one,” the Atalanta ace confessed.

Samardzic joined Atalanta on loan with an obligation to buy set at €20 million, plus an additional €5m in add-ons. He has made 11 appearances for the club this season, tallying two goals and one assist. After a slow start to life in Bergamo, he has recently become a crucial component of Gian Piero Gasperini’s set-up.

After beating Milan to Samardzic’s signature in the summer, Atalanta could add insult to injury as they bid to capture in-demand Monza playmaker Daniel Maldini.