Atalanta have reportedly agreed a €30 million deal to sign Italian international striker Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham United.
In a huge update, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Atalanta have won the race to sign Gianluca Scamacca after La Dea reached a full agreement and finalised all details and documents with Premier League side West Ham United.
Scamacca joined the Hammers for £35 million only a year ago but was determined to make a quick return to Serie A on a permanent deal. The Premier League move simply did not work out as the striker or the Hammers would have planned.
While illness, homesickness, and injuries were not in the Irons’ control, it is fair to say the recruitment team hasn’t done their homework on what type of striker Scamacca is and whether he would fit into David Moyes’s system or not.
He cut a frustrated, clueless figure on the pitch and only made 27 appearances for the East London club, scoring eight goals, most of which arrived in the Europa Conference League group stages. The Italian forward has been linked with a host of Serie A clubs since changing his agency midway through last season. The battle for his signature narrowed between Roma and Inter Milan recently.
Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta, here we go! Documents being prepared as West Ham will sell the Italian striker ⚫️🔵🇮🇹
◉ €25m fixed fee, €5m easy add ons.
◉ 10% sell on clause also included.
◉ Medical tests booked in Italy.
◉ Player travelling later today.Done, sealed. pic.twitter.com/akDEWtSINP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 5, 2023
Simone Inzaghi’s side, for one, are looking to strengthen the frontline following the departures of Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku. As such, they have already snapped up Marcus Thuram for free. But they still need an additional striker to complete the striker department. The same goes for Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, who viewed Scamacca as their number one priority and preferred replacement for injured Tammy Abraham this summer.
But neither club made offers that were deemed acceptable by West Ham, who knocked back a £17 million offer from Inter Milan as they drove a hard bargain to break even on their initial investment in Scamacca. At one stage, Inter looked very close to an agreement, although they refused to offer more than €24 million plus €4 million in add-ons.
Well-armed with cash following the €75 million sale of Danish sensation Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United, Atalanta also entered the race and met West Ham’s asking price and payment terms to hijack Inter’s deal for Scamacca, who has agreed to join La Dea after Inter refused to raise their offer.
The Bergamo outfit agreed to pay a club-record €25 million plus another €5 million in easily achievable add-ons, with the player on his way for his medical ahead of penning a deal with the Italian outfit. West Ham have also managed to insert a 10% sell-on clause.
Atalanta are tipped to go big offensively this summer. They are mulling over using the Hojlund windfall for more major moves and have reportedly set sights on Domenico Berardi and Gianluca Scamacca to add to their arsenal, which is already bolstered by the arrival of El-Bilal Toure.
They are also in advanced talks for Charles De Ketelaere. In stark contrast, West Ham haven’t got a clue where to spend the big-money fee they received from Declan Rice’s sale to Arsenal, with no concrete replacements on the horizon.
