Gian Piero Gasperini has shocked everyone by starting Ruslan Malinovskyi for Atalanta against Milan, in the thick of transfer speculation around Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Olympique Marseille.
It kicks off at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), you can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s four Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
It has been a strange few days for the Ukraine international, who has been linked with potential €20m transfers to Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest – who already signed his Dea teammate Remo Freuler – and Olympique Marseille.
His wife, Roksana Malinovska, confirmed in a long Instagram Stories post that they absolutely did not want to leave Bergamo, but were being forced to look for alternative clubs because “something went wrong.”
Multiple sources claimed there had been a breakdown in the rapport between Malinovskyi and Gasperini, something the coach did not exactly deny.
In his press conference yesterday, Gasperini said “it’s only right the club looks for someone who scores more than six goals.”
It is therefore a huge surprise to see Malinovskyi picked in the starting XI against Milan in Atalanta’s first big game of the season.
Ademola Lookman had been tipped to play instead.