Brighton & Hove Albion have tested the waters with a bid for Giovanni Ahanor, the Italy U21 left back who has been turning heads in Bergamo. GoalZaza...
Brighton & Hove Albion have tested the waters with a bid for Giovanni Ahanor, the Italy U21 left back who has been turning heads in Bergamo. GoalZaza can confirm that the Premier League side's approach has been politely but firmly rebuffed by Atalanta. The Serie A outfit are not in the business of letting promising young talent leave cheaply, especially not to a club that has made its name by poaching undervalued gems from across Europe.Ahanor, still only 20 years old, represents the kind of long term investment that Atalanta pride themselves on. He is a modern full back: comfortable in a high defensive line, willing to bomb forward, and with a low centre of gravity that makes him tricky to knock off the ball. For Brighton, a club that has built a reputation on transitional play and tactical flexibility, a player of his profile fits like a glove. But the numbers on the bid, while undisclosed, clearly did not reach the benchmark that La Dea have set for a player they consider a first team prospect rather than a reserve.It is worth remembering that Atalanta have their own ambitions. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are not a selling club in the traditional sense; they sell when it suits them and at a price that reflects the player's potential, not just their current output. Ahanor has been carefully integrated into the senior squad, making appearances in the Coppa Italia and earning minutes in Serie A. The club see him as part of a defensive rotation that could yield dividends in the next twelve to eighteen months. You do not part with that for a quick profit when you are trying to break into the Champions League spots.Brighton, for their part, will not be discouraged. The Seagulls have a data driven recruitment model that identifies targets early and tracks them across multiple windows. If Ahanor continues to develop at his current rate, expect another bid in January or next summer. But for now, Atalanta have drawn a line in the turf. They are betting on his growth, and they believe the payoff will come on the pitch, not in the bank.
