2024 Europa League champions Atalanta have signed talented Serbian midfielder Lazar Samardzic from Udinese.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the deal is worth €25m, comprising €20m in transfer fee and €5m as add-ons. Atalanta will be Samardzic’s third stop after spells with Hertha Berlin and RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
He is the club’s fifth midfield signing this summer joining the likes of Nicolo Zaniolo, Marco Bresciani, Ibrahim Sulemana, and Charles De Ketelaere.
Lazio led the list of clubs interested in Samardzic but later dumped the pursuit, paving the way for Atalanta to broker a deal for the youngster.
Who is Lamar Samardzic?
Lamar Samardzic is a Serbian professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Udinese and is now set for a new chapter with 2024 Europa League champions Atalanta. The 22-year-old Berlin-born sensation began his career in Germany but is now representing Serbia on the international scene.
Samardzic had spells with five youth teams – FK Hercegovac, Blau-Weiß Spandau, Schwarz-Weiß, Neukölln, Grün-Weiss Neukölln, and Hertha Berlin – before he recorded his big break into senior club career football. Hertha Berlin was his last stop, where he would subsequently break into first-team football.
He joined Hertha Berlin’s Academy as a talented youngster in 2009 and would play for eleven years for the club’s youth teams before being transferred to the first team in 2020. He was first used in the club’s reserve team before subsequently making his first Bundesliga appearance with the main team.
During his spell with the reserve team, Samardzic scored one goal in five appearances for the club. He managed only three appearances for the first team before being sold to another Bundesliga team RB Leipzig.
Samardzic’s short stint with Leipzig
Samardzic joined Leipzig on September 8, 2020, signing a five-year contract. He made his debut for the club a month later in a 4-0 Bundesliga victory over Schalke 04. He would then manage only seven Bundesliga appearances for the club and was sold out after one season.
Following the deadlock at Red Bull Arena with Leipzig, Samardzic left the club and was signed by another Serie A club, Udinese in the 2021-22 season. He joined the club on a five-year contract.
Career restoration at Udinese
Away from his deadlock with RB Leipzig, Lazar Samardzic rose to the summit of his career at Udinese. He played week in and week out and was an integral part of the team. In his three seasons with the club, he has tallied 93 Serie A appearances scoring 13 goals. The Serbia international had two years left on his contract before the move to Atalanta
International career
Lamar Samardzic was born in Germany. He represented Germany’s youth teams in the early stages of his international career, playing ties with the team’s U-16s and U-21s. In 2023, he switched his international allegiance to Serbia and has been capped 11 times by the team.
Lazar Samardzic contract
At the time of filing this report, Lazar Samardzic’s contract with his new club, Atalanta, has yet to be disclosed. However, the 22-year-old is likely to have agreed on a long-term contract with the club.
