Last updated on .From the section Aston Villa

Pierluigi Gollini played nine times for Atalanta last season

Aston Villa have sold goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini to Atalanta after the Italian side exercised their option to buy him from the Championship club.

The 23-year-old returns to his homeland after 18 months on loan at the Serie A side, having played 20 times for Villa.

The former Manchester United youngster moved to Villa Park in the summer of 2016 from Hellas Verona for £4m, but was dropped after four months.

Villa are believed to have sold Gollini for a fee of around £3.75m.

Steve Bruce's side, who lost to Fulham in last month's Championship play-off final, have announced financial problems in recent weeks.

The club has reached agreement with HM Revenue and Customs over an unpaid tax bill of £4m, while John Terry has already left and players including Jack Grealish have been linked with a move to the top flight.

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