Serie A Transfer News: Atalanta racing against time to find a replacement for Martin Skrtel

What's the story?

Serie A side Atalanta are in advanced discussions with Spanish giants Sevilla to sign Danish defender Simon Kjaer, as they look to replace Martin Skrtel at the back, according to Sky Sports.

The former Liverpool defender terminated his contract with La Dea after reports emerged about a fallout with manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

In case you didn't know...

The 34-year-old joined Atalanta on a free transfer in August after his contract with Turkish club Fenerbahce expired at the end of last season.

Surprisingly, his stint with the Italian club has lasted less than a month, and the veteran featuring in just one match against SPAL.

Skrtel had reportedly been a target for Scottish club Rangers, with the Glasgow giants hoping to use Skrtel's link with their manager Steven Gerrard to striker a deal.

The Slovak though eventually decided against a move to Rangers, joining Atalanta on a one-year deal.

It now remains to be seen whether Gerrard yet again opens discussion with his former Liverpool team-mate to take him to Ibrox to strengthen his defensive set-up.

The heart of the matter...

Now with just one day remaining for the European transfer window to close the time is short though for both Rangers as well as Atalanta, who want to fill the void left by the departure of Skrtel.

The transfer activities are going to heat up in the coming hours as the transfer deadline approaches.

What's next?

Kjaer has been identified as a possible replacement with the Serie A outfit in advanced talks with Sevilla to get the deal over the line before the transfer window closes. Kjaer though won't come for cheap with the player still having a contract until 2021 with Los Hispalenses.

The former Lille defender has been with Sevilla since 2017 and has so far managed 64 appearances for them. He also has 89 caps for Denmark since his debut in 2009.