Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini confirms ‘there are negotiations’ to sell Ruslan Malinovskyi to Olympique Marseille and he will not be replaced in the squad.
La Dea are ready to play Bologna on Monday evening, kicking off at 19.45 GMT.
There are reports in France and Italy that Malinovskyi is on the verge of joining Olympique Marseille.
It is expected to be a loan deal with option to buy at the end of the season for €15m, meaning he must first extend his current contract with Atalanta to make that valid.
“There are negotiations in progress, I don’t know if it will go through,” Gasperini said in his press conference.
“He was an important player for us and played a lot this season too, but has been replaced by Ademola Lookman. We therefore are not planning to bring in another player if Malinovskyi leaves.”
Ukraine international Malinovskyi had also attracted interest from other clubs, above all Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, but Marseille seem to have won the race.
The 29-year-old was first signed from KRC Genk in the summer of 2019 for €13.6m and as part of that deal, Atalanta owe the Belgians 10 per cent of the sell-on fee.
He made 143 competitive appearances in the Atalanta jersey, scoring 30 goals and providing 28 assists.