Tottenham Hotspur target Teun Koopmeiners who has been exceptional for Serie A side Atalanta has given the greenlight to a Juventus switch and is set to snub the North London side, according to Italian outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport.
The 25-year-old Dutch midfielder has been a part of Atalanta since 2021, joining them from AZ Alkmaar. He has played 28 games for the Italian side across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing four assists.
The left-footed midfielder has a contract until 2027. Tottenham and Juventus want to sign the player and moving to either club would prove to be an upgrade in terms of the player’s career and he has a very difficult decision to make.
Koopmeiners is the all-round package in midfield. Capable of playing as a #6, #8 and #10, the 25-year-old has been a regular feature in the international side as well, representing the Oranje 20 times so far.
According to FBREF, Koopmeiners ranks in the 89th percentile for passes attempted, 85th percentile for progressive passes and 94th in clearances. The numbers clearly suggest that he is much better playing as a defensive midfielder than further forward.
An opportunity missed?
Transfermarkt values Koopmeiners at around €40.00m at the moment but the Italian side could be asking for much more, considering he still has three years left in his contract. The fact that there are two sides competing for his signature only further plays into their hands.
Spurs have had a good working relationship with Atalanta in the past, signing the likes of Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini in the past. The club have also shown to have strong connections in the Serie A market with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and the aforementioned duo all coming here from the Italian league.
The fact that the report claims that the Dutch midfielder has snubbed Spurs in favour of Juventus is not good news. It must be remembered though that nothing is finalized until the dotted line is signed and Tottenham could still make an effort to change Koopmeiner’s mind.
Let’s put it this way. Not signing the 25-year-old won’t be the end of the world for Spurs but signing him will mean we are getting a very good player at his prime age. Only time will tell us how this transfer saga pans out.
