Atalanta agree to sell player to Forest but will compete with them for Chelsea outcast

Jason Soutar
Atalanta midfielder Remo Freuler during a match

Nottingham Forest have reached a full agreement with Atalanta for the signing of Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler, according to reports.

Freuler has played over 250 times for the Serie A club and captained the side for a large portion of the 2021/22 campaign.


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The combative midfielder started every game for his side in last season’s Champions League.

Atalanta finished third in their group behind Manchester United and Villarreal and went on to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Freuler is also an experienced player at international level. He has 46 caps for Switzerland after making his debut in 2017.

He started all five games for his country at last year’s delayed Euro 2020 tournament and was sent off in the quarters as the Rossocrociati were beaten 4-2 by Spain on penalties.

After spending the last six-and-a-half years in Italy, the 30-year-old looks set to move to the Premier League.

This is according to Fabrizio Romano, who has said ‘here we go’ to his transfer to Nottingham Forest.

Freuler will reportedly join for €9million plus add-ons and will sign a three-year contract.

Romano wrote on Twitter: “Remo Freuler to Nottingham Forest, here we go! Full agreement for €9m plus add-ons. Remo will sign until June 2025, medical booked.

“Huge signing, one more international Swiss midfielder and key player for Atalanta – Miltiadis Marinakis on it, showing ambition again.”

It has been a busy summer window for Forest, to say the least.

They have already signed 12 new players, spending around £85m in total.

The Reds are still linked with several players, including Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs-White, Lyon’s Houssem Aouar, Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis and Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri.

‘The race is heating up’ in regards to Emerson, according to the Evening Standard.

Atalanta have ‘expressed an interest’ in the wantaway Italian international.

Chelsea have bought Marc Cucurella for around £62m this summer and already have Ben Chilwell at the club, so Emerson’s opportunities to play this season will be even more scarce than before.

Forest and Atalanta have both ‘made initial contact’ over the possibility of signing the 28-year-old, though a move to Italy seems the ‘most likely’ scenario.

Of course Forest have, because their busy summer has resulted in them being linked with every player under the sun.

Chelsea paid around £24m to sign Emerson from Roma in 2018.