Udinese has rejected two separate approaches worth around €30 million each from Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund for teenage defender Matteo Palma, according to TuttoMercatoWeb. Both Bundesliga clubs made concrete offers for the centre-back this week, but Udinese has no plans to sell.
TuttoMercatoWeb reports that proposals “in the region of €30 million” arrived from both German sides. Messaggero Veneto, writing on Tuesday, adds that the two bids were pitched separately at roughly €30 million apiece rather than as a joint approach. Udinese considers Palma incedibile, not for sale this summer, and has not opened negotiations with either club.
Palma signed a new contract with Udinese through June 2031 in July, a deal that gives the club a strong negotiating position if Bundesliga interest returns later in this window or next summer. Head coach Kosta Runjaic has already added Nemanja Gudelj for central defensive depth this summer, and Messaggero Veneto frames the rejected bids as forcing Udinese to decide whether to build the team around Palma now rather than risk losing him for good.
The German-born centre-back, who has represented both Italy and Germany at youth level, made his senior debut for Udinese in September 2024 and has drawn comparisons to Antonio Rüdiger for his physical style on the back line. He previously spent time on loan away from Udinese, and Messaggero Veneto says that history is part of why the club wants to establish him as a starter this season instead of sending him out again.
The interest from two clubs with strong recent records developing young defenders into first-team regulars underlines how highly Palma’s ceiling is rated in Germany.
For Udinese, keeping him fits a broader plan to build a younger back line around Runjaic rather than cash in on a rising academy product before he has established himself in Serie A.
Status: Udinese has rejected two separate bids worth about €30 million each from Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund for Matteo Palma. No talks are open between the clubs, no personal terms have been discussed, and Udinese’s position is that the defender is not for sale this summer.
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