Loaned for the second straight season at Atalanta, Mario Pašalić appears to have now found himself his forever home.
Prior to this move, the Chelsea midfielder had bounced around a number of clubs, such as Elche, Monaco, Milan and Spartak Moscow, each time returning to Stamford Bridge knowing he would likely be omitted from the first-team squad.
Then Atalanta came along, and it was a match made in heaven, as the Croatia international took to the team like a duck to water, scoring eight goals and assisting another six in his first season.
He’s continued that trend this year, with six goals and three assists in 28 appearances so far, which has led the Serie A side to come to a decision we all knew would happen: they will make the move permanent.
That’s what Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting on Thursday, explaining that Atalanta will trigger the €15m option in the loan to secure Pašalić’s services for the foreseeable future at a very low-cost price.
It’s said ‘he will become one of the best deals done in Bergamo in recent times’, as they feel his performances warrant a much higher price on today’s market.
However, the fee negotiated must be respected by Chelsea, and it will ultimately be down to Pašalić to decide if he wants to stay, but judging by how happy he is at the thought of finally getting some stability in his life, he is very unlikely to say no.
