Atalanta negotiate Kossounou discount from Bayer Leverkusen

Originally posted on Football Italia | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 12:01 PM ET

Atalanta have agreed a €20m fee to buy Odilon Kossounou outright from Bayer Leverkusen, at a slight discount, while Torino bought Cristiano Biraghi from Fiorentina.

This is the time of the transfer market where clubs decide whether or not to make loan moves permanent, and if so, to stick with the agreed options to buy or renegotiate the terms.

Kossounou injury prompted rethink

Atalanta were very eager to keep hold of Kossounou, but were seeking a discount from Bayer Leverkusen on the original €25m option to buy.

This is because they already spent €5.2m on the one-season loan and above all the defender had to miss quite a lot of it following surgery on a torn tendon.

That kept him out of action from mid-January to mid-April, a three-month gap during a key part of the campaign.

Kossounou ultimately made 23 competitive appearances in the Atalanta jersey, contributing two assists in the Champions League.

Atalanta were able to negotiate Bayer Leverkusen down to €20m and formally announced the deal this afternoon.

It was not activating the option to buy, but a whole new negotiation, bringing the total transfer fee to €25m.

He has signed a new contract with La Dea to June 2029.

Meanwhile, Sky Sport Italia maintain that Torino activated their option to buy Biraghi from Fiorentina.

It was by no means certain, despite the fact the cost of the operation was a measly €100,000 following a six-month loan.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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