Atalanta's 10 biggest sales of all time

24 Oct 2024 15:36 BST |
Updated: 12 Oct 2026 20:58 BST |
5 min read

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Atalanta consistently punched well above their weight under Gian Piero Gasperini, but they have begun a new era after their manager’s departure.

Their rise under the genius of Gasperini culminated in their 2024 Europa League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen, and it was built off the back of incredibly smart and successful recruitment.

Their limited resources mean that selling their star players is inevitable, which has forced them to become shrewd operators in the market.

Below, FootballTransfers lists Atalanta’s 10 biggest sales ever…

10. Franck Kessie – €32m (to Milan, 2019)

Atalanta plucked Franck Kessie from the relative obscurity of the Ivorian top flight, and he was promoted into the club’s first-team following an impressive loan spell in Serie B.

Kessie would spend just one season in Atalanta’s senior side before embarking on a two-year loan move to AC Milan. The San Siro giants made the deal permanent in 2019, and Kessie helped Milan win the Scudetto in 2022 before he departed to join Barcelona on a free transfer.

9. Ademola Lookman – €35m (to Atletico Madrid, 2026)

Ademola Lookman was a standout performer during his time in Bergamo, and the Nigerian will go down in history for his hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final that led Atalanta to silverware.

Such were Lookman’s performances that year that the winger was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and named African Footballer of the Year. However, he eventually left Atalanta under a cloud after being repeatedly denied a big move.

He threatened to run down his contract, prompting La Dea to sell him to Atletico Madrid in January 2026, where he made an immediate impact.

8. Dejan Kulusevski – €39m (to Juventus, 2020)

Atalanta paid €3.5m to sign Dejan Kulusevski as a 16-year-old, but he only played three first-team games for the club before Juventus decided to snap him up for €39m.

Kulusevski had impressed in Atalanta’s youth system, and after 11 goal contributions in 17 league games on loan at Parma during the first half of the 2019/20 season, Juve spent nearly €40m on the Sweden star.

However, he failed to make a lasting impression in Turin, and he was sold to Tottenham in 2023 after an 18-month loan move to North London. He developed into a solid Premier League winger before being sidelined for more than a year with a serious knee injury between 2025 and 2026.

7. Alessandro Bastoni – €40.7m (to Inter, 2017)

Alessandro Bastoni is one of Atalanta’s best ever youth products, and he made his senior debut for the club at just 17 years and seven months old.

He had only made four senior appearances when Inter splashed a whopping €31.3m to sign him in 2017. Bastoni was loaned back to Atalanta for the campaign, but he barely featured, and it wasn’t until after a loan spell at Parma that he established himself as a regular at Inter.

Over time, he became one of the best centre-backs in the world, which saw his fee rise to €40.7m due to bonuses.

6. Honest Ahanor – €46.7m (to Chelsea, 2027)

Atalanta took a gamble when they splashed €16m on teenage defender Honest Ahanor after just six senior games for Genoa. It turned out to be an inspired decision.

Hailed as the second coming of Paolo Maldini, the precocious youngster was one of Atalanta’s standout performers by age 18, when he made his first-team debut for Italy.

In 2026, Chelsea wanted to sign Ahanor but didn’t really have the squad space for him, so they pre-agreed a €46.7m deal with Atalanta for the following year, with the centre-back spending time on loan at Crystal Palace in the meantime.

5. Cristian Romero – €52m (to Tottenham, 2022)

Cristian Romero never played a single game as a permanent Atalanta player, yet they managed to flip him for a tidy €35m profit.

His loan move to Bergamo was made permanent in August 2021, and he was loaned straight to Tottenham one day later, with the North London giants including an obligation to buy for €52m in the deal.

Romero won the 2022 World Cup while at Spurs, and he was named club captain in 2025. However, he left in acrimony just a year later after two disastrous seasons during which he had publicly criticised the club hierarchy.

4. Marco Palestra – €57m (to Chelsea, 2026)

Marco Palestra only played 400 senior minutes for Atalanta across two seasons, yet they turned a monumental €57m profit on him when Chelsea beat Inter to the punch in the summer of 2026.

Why was Palestra so expensive? The full-back had spent the previous year on loan at Cagliari and developed into one of Serie A’s standout talents, even being named the league’s Best Defender for that season.

If you include the €1.1m loan fee Atalanta banked from Cagliari, their profit on Palestra actually totalled a whopping €58.1m.

3. Teun Koopmeiners – €58.4m (to Juventus, 2024)

Teun Koopmeiners became the biggest Italian transfer of the 2024 summer transfer window when he moved from Atalanta to rivals Juventus for €58.4m.

The Dutchman had established himself as one of the standout performers in Serie A with his goals from midfield, even being named in the league’s team of the year in 2023/24.

However, his time at Juventus has proved disastrous, with the midfielder not justifying his price tag in the slightest. Juve were prepared to sell him in 2026 but failed to attract suitable offers.

2. Mateo Retegui – €68.25m (to Al-Qadsiah, 2025)

Mateo Retegui was a prolific scorer for Atalanta in his one season with the club, but the Italian forward was sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah in 2025, with the Italian side more than tripling their money in one year.

Retegui had scored 25 goals in 36 games after his €21m move from Genoa in 2024. His move to Al-Qadsiah made him the most expensive Italian player ever until Sandro Tonali joined Tottenham for €108m the following year.

1. Rasmus Hojlund – €73.9m (to Man Utd, 2023)

Rasmus Hojlund became Atalanta’s all-time record sale when he left the Serie A club to join Manchester United for a whopping €73.9m.

The Denmark forward spent just one season in Bergamo, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists, but Man Utd were determined to purchase him as their new marquee centre-forward and a move was completed in August 2023.

After failing to score in his first 14 Premier League games, Hojlund eventually ended his debut campaign at Old Trafford with 16 goals across all competitions. He struggled in his second season, though, and was loaned to Napoli, with the deal becoming permanent in 2026.

The 10 biggest Atalanta sales of all time

Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

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