Atalanta have officially confirmed the signing of Dutch wingback Mitchel Bakker for a reported €11 million transfer fee. The 23-year-old arrives from Bayer Leverkusen, where he spent the last two seasons, making 70 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals. La Dea confirmed the deal in a statement on the clubs website:
Atalanta B.C. are pleased to announce the signing of footballer Mitchel Bakker on a permanent basis. The Dutchman joins Atalanta from Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Bakker is a left-footed wingback born in Purmerend, the Netherlands, on the 20th of June in 2000. After coming through the Ajax Academy, with whom he made his senior debut at the age of 18 in the national cup, he joined Paris Saint Germain in the summer of 2019. His French stint, which lasted two seasons, counted 45 appearances overall, including 10 UEFA Champions League games – all of them in the 2020/21 season – one Ligue 1 title, two French cups, one League cup and a Supercup.
In 2021 Bakker moved to Germany and signed for Bayer Leverkusen: this spell registered 70 appearances, 5 goals and 7 assists. With the Bayer jersey, he played in both the Champions League and took part in two seasons of the Europa League. And in his very first participation in the 2021/22 season, he crossed paths with Atalanta in the UEL round of 16.
He has also played international football with the Oranje, as he represented the Netherlands national team at youth level from the Under-15 to the Under-21, joining the senior national team later on.
Atalanta B.C. would like to extend a warm welcome to Mitchel and wish him the best of luck in his future personal and team endeavours as a black-and-blue.
[Image from Atalanta.it]
