Atalanta are moving into the summer transfer window with ambition and structural uncertainty in equal measure, as la Dea pursue midfield reinforcements while simultaneously managing the departure of sporting director Tony D'Amico — a combination of forces that will shape the environment Lorenzo Bernasconi, the 22-year-old Atalanta midfielder, enters for his third season at the club.
The significance for Bernasconi is concrete. D'Amico's exit, confirmed by the club this week after four seasons, removes the executive who oversaw the squad-building framework Bernasconi has developed within. His replacement has not been named. A new sporting director working alongside an incoming head coach — with Raffaele Palladino's tenure now concluded — means the player's standing in the squad hierarchy will be reassessed by people who did not sign him and have no institutional attachment to his development arc.
Bernasconi's case for inclusion is built on a season of quiet accumulation. Across 23 Serie A appearances in 2025-26, he contributed three assists without scoring, carrying an average match rating of 7.00. Those numbers describe a midfielder who functions as a connector rather than a finisher — useful in a system that values ball circulation, less decisive in one that demands end-product from central areas. His AI overall rating of 68 out of 100, with a projected ceiling of 76, suggests the analytical models see room for growth but not yet a player who commands automatic selection.
The transfer activity swirling around Bergamo adds further complexity. Atalanta are reported to be targeting Milan midfielder Samuele Ricci and Ardon Jashari, a Rossoneri pair whose profiles overlap with the central midfield positions Bernasconi occupies. Ederson's departure to Manchester United — a deal worth around 50 million euros — creates a vacancy in the engine room, but it also frees budget that could fund exactly the kind of senior signing that would compress Bernasconi's minutes rather than expand them.
There is a counterargument. Atalanta finished seventh with 59 points from 38 matches, a record of 15 wins, 14 draws, and nine defeats, and the club's enterprise value has reportedly grown by 11 percent over the past year. A financially healthier Atalanta with a rebuilt leadership structure may be more willing to retain and develop a young asset than to sell or loan him out. Bernasconi's three assists across 23 matches represent a contribution rate that, at 22, carries genuine upside if the right coach deploys him with consistency.
The next few weeks will clarify whether Bernasconi is part of the project being built or a piece being moved to make room for it.