Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic to join Atalanta permanently after six years and no appearances for blues
Pasalic has made significant strides in his career playing in Serie A
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.One of Chelsea‘s fabled loan army will depart the club permanently in summer, after Atalanta agreed to take up their permanent option for Mario Pasalic.
The 25-year-old Croatian international has been with the Blues for almost six years, but has never made a competitive appearance for them, instead heading out on loan to five different clubs.
Since the start of the 2018/19 campaign he has been with Italian outfit Atalanta and has played a key role in their push into the top four of Serie A, scoring five times this season.
Previously, he also spent a season with each of Eibar, Monaco, AC Milan and Spartak Moscow.
The Guardian report that the Bergamo club have opted to take up their purchase option on Pasalic, paying around €15 million (£12.5m) to do so this summer.
Pasalic originally joined Chelsea from Hajduk Split, but will now follow the likes of Tomas Kalas and Matej Delac in departing permanently after multiple years away from Stamford Bridge.
Frank Lampard is undergoing something of a rebuild of his squad, incorporating plenty of players who had been out on loan up until this season.
Hakim Ziyech has also been confirmed as an incoming summer signing, while Alvaro Morata’s loan to Atletico Madrid will also become permanent in the summer.
Lampard is rumoured to want a new striker, a left-back and potentially a central defender in the summer, while the goalkeeper position has also come under scrutiny of late.
Chelsea face Man United in the Premier League on Monday night as they look to secure their grip on fourth place.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments