USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah has traded the Devil for the Goddess, with Serie A club Atalanta Bergamo announcing his deadline-day arrival one a one-season loan with an option to purchase next summer.
The New York-born 22 year-old had become a hot commodity in Italy during the summer window, with reigning Serie A champions Napoli reportedly hot on his tail with a €25M transfer offer, only to be rebuffed by the Rossoneri, who were seeking a larger fee.
Instead, Milan’s nearby neighbors Atalanta closed the deal at the last second. Word of their approach gained steam over the final 10 days of the window, with the team paying a modest loan fee up front, and having a try-before-you-buy purchase option, which has been reported to bring the overall value of the deal to the same figure initially offered by Napoli.
“Atalanta BC are pleased to announce the acquisition, on a temporary basis until June 30, 2026 with an option for a permanent transfer, of the sporting rights of Yunus Musah from AC Milan,” the team announced.
Atalanta has become one of Serie A’s more successful and exciting clubs over the last decade, however are going through a major period of transition this season. Longtime coach and local deity Gianpiero Gasperini left the club for new challenges after guiding them to a third-place finish last season, eventually ending up with Roma.
His replacement and former understudy, Ivan Jurić, has seen the team struggle to a pair of draws against likely relegation candidates in their first two games this season. Part of the issue has been the absence of midfield stalwart Éderson, which Musah is in a position to immediately remedy when league play resumes after the international break.
His versatility on the field will also be a benefit after the expected return of the Brazilian, as Atlanta’s rugged left-sided defender Sead Kolašinac is recovering from an ACL injury, which will likely keep him out for the rest of 2025. This has created a general shuffling and instability in defense, which has been partially at fault for the team’s first two disappointing results.
Musah’s loan to La Dea was arranged concurrently with a an extension of his current contract with Milan, which will keep him tied to the club through 2030, should he return after the upcoming season in Bergamo.
While the 47-times capped national teamer is the first American to join as a player, a majority of the team was acquired by a group with American investor Stephen Pagliuca at the head during 2022. Two years later, the team lifted their first major European trophy, ruining Bayer Leverkusen’s otherwise perfect 2023-24 season with a 3-0 victory in the Europa League final.
In the current season, La Dea are competing in the Champions League, where they will face the likes of Chelsea and PSG in the League phase, as well as Club Brugge, who sent them packing in the first stage of the knockout round last season.
Having been snubbed by Mauricio Pochettino for the current USMNT roster, Musah will have nearly two weeks to work with his new coach and the remaining teammates who were not selected for international duty, before the team hosts Lecce on Sunday, September 14, and then visits PSG three days later.
