Juventus announce signing of Mattia Caldara for €15m from Atalanta

Posted Friday, January 13, 2017 by squawka.com

Juventus have today completed the €15 million signing of Mattia Caldara from Atalanta on a four-and-a-half year deal.

As we approach the half-way stage of the January transfer window, the Italian champions have secured the services of Atalanta's highly promising young centre-back Caldara, with Maximiliano Allegri continuing to strengthen his defensive options at the Juventus Stadium.

The 22-year-old came up through the youth ranks at Atalanta before making his first-team breakthrough in 2013, earning a loan move to Serie B club Trapani the following year to gain more experience. After making 20 league appearances at that level, he then joined Cesena on another loan deal in 2015, playing a further 27 games in Serie B.

Those performances earned Caldara a place in Atalanta's first-team this season, where he impressed in the heart of Gian Piero Gasperini's defence. However his displays also caught the attention of the Old Lady, resulting in this switch to Turin earlier today, although he's been loaned back to his former club for the next 18 months.

Caldara has scored three goals and averaged eight defensive actions-per-game in 11 Serie A appearances this term, winning 48% of his average duels, as Atalanta sit sixth on 35 points, one behind AC Milan in fifth.

Next up for them is an away clash at Lazio on Sunday afternoon, before taking on Sampdoria at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.