Atletico's Raspadori close to Atalanta switch
Atalanta boss Raffaelle Palladino believes the imminent signing of Atletico Madrid's Giacomo Raspadori will lift the team's attacking quality for the rest of the season.
Raspadori is expected to sign with the Serie A side on a permanent transfer in the coming days, despite only moving to the Spanish capital from Napoli during the summer transfer window.
The 25-year-old netted six goals in 26 Serie A appearances in 2024-2025, a total only bettered by Romelu Lukaku (14) and Scott McTominay (12) for Napoli in its Scudetto winning season.
However, the Italy international has struggled to make an impact under Diego Simeone, scoring just twice in 15 outings in all competitions, with only four being starts.
Atalanta is seventh in Serie A and eight points behind Juventus, with Palladino's team scoring 25 league goals this season, the seventh-highest total in the division.
"He's a strong player who has completed the attacking department. He has raised Atalanta's level," Palladino said.
"I've always liked him, and, being a very ambitious club, managed to bring him to Bergamo. We are strong in attack. Atalanta have many options thanks to Raspadori's arrival.
"Besides, [Lazar] Samardzic, [Charles] De Ketelaere, [Daniel] Maldini, [Ademola] Lookman and [Nikola] Krstovic are doing really well. They know they have to push in training, but I'm really happy with them.
"I have a team that is ready for anything, where everyone knows how to seize opportunities."
Raspadori netted 13 goals in 89 Serie A appearances after joining Napoli, initially on loan, at the start of the 2022-2023 campaign, though only 35 of those outings were starts.
He played 3,614 minutes for the Partenopei, finding the back of the net every 278 minutes.
A debut at Stadio Romeo Anconetani on Saturday (AEDT) could come too soon for Raspadori, though, with Atalanta in action against Serie A struggling Pisa.
Atalanta has won four of its past five league matches, and Palladino has urged his team to continue that consistency if it is to challenge for a place in the top four.
"We must have the ambition to earn as many points as possible. We have taken a great path, and these lads deserve credit," Palladino said.
"We still haven't achieved anything, and our target is to get many more points than the 28 we got in the first half of the season.
"I'll ask for consistency, because this is a good moment and we have to ride it."
