Lecce, queuing for Krstovic: Atalanta is one step away

Lecce and Charleroi have made renewed contact regarding center forward Nikola Stulic, the leading candidate to replace Nikola Krstović should the Giallorossi's top scorer of the last two seasons leave. The club based on Via Colonel Costadura intends to be prepared if, as has been rumored for months, the Montenegrin were to leave.

Since his retirement, president Saverio Sticchi Damiani has assured the striker of the club's willingness to sell him, fulfilling his desire to take a step forward in his career, which would mean joining a team striving for more ambitious goals than staying in the league. This, however, is conditional on an offer commensurate with his value and arriving in time to allow the Salento club to adequately replace him.

The price set by technical director Pantaleo Corvino is thirty million euros, while the deal must be fully underway by the end of this week, and concluded no later than next Monday or Tuesday. Atalanta are currently moving most decisively towards Krstovic. The club's management have long pursued Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz as their first choice, but hesitation from their English counterparts, who want to keep the player, and the €50 million transfer fee have stalled negotiations. Therefore, the Bergamo club has reportedly turned to the Lecce striker, who has always been highly regarded and who, for his part, would be delighted to wear the Nerazzurri jersey, as he would have the opportunity to compete for the top spots in the Italian top flight and, at the same time, compete in the Champions League, the most prestigious stage. Negotiations have reportedly accelerated in the last few hours.

Time, however, is running out. Krstović's entourage is well aware of this, having been informed of Lecce's firm intention to avoid waiting until the transfer window closes, risking being left holding the hot seat without a replacement who can provide a certain level of performance. With this in mind, Corvino has reportedly identified Stulic as the central striker to replace the Montenegrin in the event of a transfer. Charleroi values him at €9 million. In initial discussions, Lecce reportedly offered €5 million, but were unsuccessful. Contacts have now resumed, and the offer and demand have reportedly come closer together.

If the deal with Atalanta (or one of the other interested clubs, which have yet to make any concrete moves) were to progress positively, then Corvino and sporting director Stefano Trinchera would launch a determined attack on Stulic, who has already expressed his willingness to join Salento. The Serbian, who turns 24 on September 8th, is 188 centimeters tall and well-built, and has already started the 2025/2026 Jupiler Pro League, playing three games and scoring one goal. In short, the issue of whether Krstović will remain or not will be resolved very soon. The Giallorossi's summer turmoil won't drag on much longer. Atalanta intends to close the deal as quickly as possible, also because, in the meantime, AC Milan, Napoli (given Romelu Lukaku's injury, which will keep the Belgian out of action for some time), and Roma, who until a few days ago seemed the most interested in Krstović, have now taken a somewhat reserved stance. But as we all know, in the transfer market, what seems certain today isn't certain tomorrow.

Napoli's interest is growing by the hour, even though the Azzurri are also being linked with the names of Dane Rasmus Hojlund (long in the sights of AC Milan), Dutchman Joshua Zirkzee, both on their way out of Manchester United, and Serbian Dusan Vlahovic (of Juventus, who is also attractive to the "Diavolo" (the Devils), but whose €12 million salary, however, is far from affordable). However, with Antonio Conte's approval, president Aurelio De Laurentiis and his team are actively considering Krstovic, whose price tag would be far more affordable, both in terms of the fee to be paid to Lecce and the player's salary. But, in reality, everything seems to be done with Atalanta.