Juventus are still pushing to land Teun Koopmeiners as soon as possible, but Atalanta continue to block the player’s passage to Turin, and perhaps out of malice.

This has been one of the longest-running sagas of this transfer market session. The Bianconeri have been tracking the Dutchman for several months now, identifying him as the one and only option to complete Thiago Motta’s midfield jigsaw.

For their part, Atalanta resisted all attempts, insisting on pocketing 60 million euros for their prized asset.

While Juventus initially started with a shy attempt, offering 45 million, they have decided to raise their bid in recent days, realizing they’re running out of time.

The Turin-based giants’ new offer doesn’t quite meet Atalanta’s asking price, but 50 million euros in addition to bonuses could be enough to unlock the operation.

But according to La Gazzetta dello Sport via JuventusNews24, the Old Lady is now facing a new hurdle from another nature.

The pink newspaper believes Atalanta could decide to derail the operation, and not for financial reasons, but as a payback for the player’s recent demeanor.

In his attempt to “force” his way out of Bergamo, Koopmeiners has been refusing to train over the past few days.

The 26-year-old’s behavior irritated Gian Piero Gasperini and the rest of the club who are now considering blocking the deal out of spite.

This is certainly an untimely roadblock for Juventus who will be hoping that cooler heads prevail in the coming days.