Luca Percassi insists he wants to keep Atalanta‘s best players, including Manchester United target Rasmus Hojlund, but ‘in the past, we reinforced the team also through sales.’
Reports in Italy claim Manchester United remain interested in the Denmark international after securing the services of André Onana from Inter.
Giorgio Scalvini and Teun Koopmeiners are also being monitored by top clubs around Europe and Percassi didn’t guarantee they’d all remain at the Gewiss Stadium in 2023-24.
“They are players we want to keep and they have a solid bond with Atalanta,” the Atalanta CEO told Sky Sport Italia.
“Of course, we know the market and the target is always to strengthen the team. In the past, we achieved that also through sales. Most importantly, we want to keep players who want to be protagonists with Atalanta.”
Hojlund, 20, joined Atalanta for €17m from Strum Graz last summer and scored 10 goals in 34 appearances in his first season with La Dea. His contract at the Gewiss Stadium expires in June 2027.
Atalanta qualified for Europa League in 2022-23 and coach Gian Piero Gasperini is not a fan of the summer transfer window which will end on September 1.
The Italian tactician is set to start his eighth consecutive season in charge of the Nerazzurri.
“He is a great coach and his stay is the starting point of the new season,” said Percassi.
“As of today, the team has been completed, but the market is very long. I agree with Gasperini that if the transfer window closed on July 31, teams would work with more serenity.
“We always want to improve and the return to Europe is meaningful. Gasp has always been great and never told us which players he wanted. We are talking about roles, not specific names.”