Elmas joins Atalanta, official: a surprise loan from Leipzig

Eljif Elmas is officially a new Atalanta player, arriving on loan with an option to buy from Leipzig. It's a surprise move that brings the North Macedonian back to Serie A after his years at Napoli.

The deal was completed on the morning of Saturday 22 August 2026. As announced by Calciomercato.com, Eljif Elmas is officially a new Atalanta player: the formula is a loan with an option to buy from Leipzig, the club that held his registration.

The day had begun with a report from Sky Sport, which described the player's arrival at Zingonia, Atalanta's training ground, precisely on loan from Leipzig. From there the negotiation moved quickly: Il Messaggero, in its transfer live blog, had Elmas moving to Atalanta before the official announcement.

The news carried the tone of a surprise: 'Surprise Elmas: he has signed for Atalanta', the first bulletin of the morning. Shortly afterwards came the definitive confirmation of the signing and of the structure of the deal.

For Elmas it is a return to Serie A, a league he knows well from his long spell at Napoli, as noted by NapoliToday. According to Calciomercato, the North Macedonian is the winger tasked with completing the attack of Sarri's Atalanta.

The operation is now closed and official. The financial details of the loan and the fee set for the buy option have not been disclosed by the sources.

TransferBeat aggregates transfer news citing the original sources. Developing story.