Juventus have announced they have signed Atalanta defender Mattia Caldara but will loan him back to the Bergamo outfit until 2018.
Caldara, 22, has been one of the best defenders in Serie A this season and has performances at the back have been one of the main reasons behind Atalanta’s surprise campaign.
The Italy Under-21 international’s performances in a back three for Atalanta had caught the eye of Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who is keen to strengthen his defence despite their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
However, Chelsea will be forced to sound out alternative options after Juventus announced they had landed the young centre-back in an initial deal worth €15m (£13m) plus €10m (£8.7m) worth of add-ons.
Caldara has put pen to paper on a deal that keeps him tied to Juventus until 2021 but he will not join up with Juventus for the next two seasons.
Only Alejandro Gomez (7.50) has a higher WhoScored rating for Atalanta in Serie A this season than Caldara (7.22), while only two teammates average more clearances per game (Caldara – 4.7).
For more stats on Mattia Caldara, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
