Mateo Retegui is leaving Atalanta Bergamo and moving to Al-Qadisiya in Saudi Arabia. The Italian club confirmed this on Monday. The transfer fee is a whopping 65 million euros—and an extremely generous salary for the striker.
In the summer of 2024, Mateo Retegui moved from Genoa to Bergamo and made an immediate impact. With 28 goals in 27 games, he led the Bergamaschi to third place and thus to the Champions League. However, the 26-year-old will no longer play for Atalanta in the Champions League – the petrodollars from the sheikhdom were too tempting.
Al-Qadisiya is reportedly putting €65 million on the table for the striker, who was born in San Fernando, Argentina. That’s an enormous sum for a player who has just had one really strong season in Serie A. Retegui is sweetening his move with an extremely generous salary, which according to Italian media reports is €20 million per year. And since he is signing for three years, that makes a total of €60 million for the Saudis.
Aubameyang, Casteels, and Nacho are waiting
Retegui, who has been a member of the Italian national team since 2023 and now has 20 caps and six goals for the Squadra Azzurra, becomes the second most expensive sale in Atalanta’s history. Only Rasmus Höjlund, who moved to Manchester United in 2023 for €75 million plus bonuses, brought in more.
In Al-Chubar, Retegui will join other players who have already made a name for themselves in Europe, such as former Real Madrid defender Nacho and former Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels. However, Retegui will no longer be playing alongside former Dortmund player Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose contract was recently terminated, presumably to make room for Retegui in the attack. Aubameyang is said to be on the verge of a move to Olympique Marseille.
