Market, Atalanta moves forward and targets Cristian Shpendi, 21-year-old striker from Cesena

Bergamo, February 24, 2025 – In view of the next summer market, Atalanta is monitoring the 21-year-old striker Cristian Shpendi , a revelation in Serie B with Cesena. Born in 2003, Italian but with an Albanian passport, 16 games and 4 goals with the Albanian under 20 and 21 teams, Shpendi's name is still little known to the general public.

Central striker, not very tall (182 centimeters) but robust, very mobile, Shpendi grew up in Cesena with whom he exploded in Serie C with 21 goals and 7 assists in a two-year period of 53 games. Then this year Serie B with the Bianconeri with a significant impact : 10 goals and 1 assist in 23 games. The Nerazzurri management is monitoring him with a view to having a third center forward in the squad behind Retegui and Scamacca, a boy for the bench to be developed in a season of apprenticeship.

There is a historic collaborative relationship between the Nerazzurri club and the Romagnoli: this year on loan to Juventus there is the 19 year old midfielder Leonardo Mendicino , who made two appearances with Gasperini last year and had experience in Serie C with the under 23s. We will talk about it again at the end of the season, the Albanian centre forward is currently valued at around 6 million, a significant figure, but the player has room for technical improvement and could make the definitive leap in quality in Bergamo .