Fiorentina have confirmed the signing of Arthur Atta from Udinese, with the France Under-21 international putting pen to paper on a five-year contract running until June 2031. The deal is reported at a fixed fee of around €25m, with add-ons that could push the total package higher and a sell-on percentage retained by Udinese should Fiorentina later cash in on the player.
The move was driven by Fiorentina sporting director Fabio Paratici, who has followed Atta for some time and moved quickly to get the deal over the line ahead of rival interest from Serie A and the Premier League, with AC Milan and Newcastle United both credited with checking on the player earlier in the window. For Fiorentina, it is a statement of intent in central midfield as they look to rebuild under new head coach Fabio Grosso, who replaced Paolo Vanoli this summer.
Udinese, by contrast, lose one of the most eye-catching performers in Serie A last season. Atta only joined the club from Metz in the summer of 2025 for a fee in the region of €8m, and his rapid rise means Udinese have more than tripled their outlay in a single year. He was a near-ever-present under Kosta Runjaić, and his departure leaves a gap in the middle of the pitch that the Friulian club will need to address before the new campaign.
Atta's numbers last season explain the interest. The 23-year-old made 32 Serie A appearances, scoring five goals and adding three assists, while building a reputation as one of the division's most dangerous dribblers and ball-carriers — the kind of midfielder capable of beating a man and driving his team up the pitch from deep. That combination of goal threat and progressive running is rare for a central midfielder in Serie A, and it is what convinced Fiorentina to make him one of their marquee summer additions.
At Fiorentina, Atta is expected to operate as a central midfielder capable of playing further forward when needed, giving Grosso a runner who can break lines and support the attack rather than simply sitting in front of the back four. Given his age and the sell-on clause built into the deal, both clubs have structured this as a transfer with room to grow — Udinese banking a big profit now with the possibility of more to come, and Fiorentina banking on a player they believe can be a first-team fixture for years.