Atlanta United lodge bid for Atalanta midfielder - report
- Atlanta United are looking for a Thiago Almada replacement
- Atalanta midfielder Aleksey Miranchuk's contract expires next summer
- The 28-year-old would follow in the footsteps of recent European signings by the Five Stripes
Atlanta United have reportedly made a bid worth roughly $10m for Atalanta and Russia international midfielder Aleksey Miranchuk, according to GiveMeSport's Tom Bogert.
The reported bid comes after the Five Stripes transferred star midfielder Thiago Almada this past weekend to Eagle Football Group. Almada is set to play in the Brazilian Serie A with Botafogo until the new year when he'll rock up to France to play for Lyon under head coach Pierre Sage, according to Bogert.
Almada was the second domino to fall after Atlanta moved striker Giorgos Giakoumakis on to Liga MX outfit Cruz Azul, while teenage full-back Caleb Wiley looks to be the next youngster headed to Chelsea but with a stop at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg starting next season. A full-blown rebuild appears to be on the cards at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with club CEO Garth Lagerway also looking to nail down the team's next head coach after parting ways with Gonzalo Pineda in June.
As Atlanta lost their outright best player, they've now moved to bring in another attacking midfielder that's still very much in his prime in one of the top five leagues in Europe. Lagerway began to operate in this nature in his first window in charge in the winter of 2023 with the signing of Giakoumakis from Celtic before adding the likes of Tristan Muyumba, Bartosz Slisz, Stian Gregersen and Saba Lobjandize all from various European clubs.
The Five Stripes have plenty of clash to spend after the sales of Almada, Giakoumakis and Wiley (which hasn't been announced yet), and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them shell out more money on a shiny new striker while also revamping the midfield.
Miranchuk is fresh off a 2023/24 campaign with Atalanta in which he managed four goals and 12 assists at the club level in 42 appearances in the Italian top flight, Italian Cup and the Europa League that his side won over Bayer Leverkusen. Miranchuk also has recorded seven goals and seven assists at the international level in Russia with 45 appearances.
The 28-year-old's contract with Atalanta runs out next summer with the Five Stripes looking to pounce on their next big-name signing.