Leicester City sign Caleb Okoli from Atalanta

Leicester City have confirmed the signing of young defender Caleb Okoli from Serie A club Atalanta. 

Okoli, 22, has committed to a five-year contract with the Foxes, as they gear up for the 2024/25 Premier League season. He brings with him experience from Italy's top leagues and youth international stages.

The Vicenza-born centre-back joined Atalanta in 2015 and made significant strides through their youth system. He won the National Youth Super Cup with the Under-19s in 2019.

Okoli's professional journey includes a loan spell at SPAL in Serie B during the 2020/21 season, where he made 16 appearances and scored once.

His development continued with a loan to Cremonese in the 2021/22 season, featuring in 27 matches.

Okoli made his Serie A debut for Atalanta in a win against Sampdoria in August 2022 and appeared 17 times during the 2022/23 season, contributing to their fifth-place finish and Europa League qualification.

In September 2023, Okoli joined Frosinone on loan, where he played 37 matches across all competitions.

On the international front, Okoli has represented Italy at the U19, U20, and U21 levels. He played in the 2023 EURO U21 Championships, showcasing his talent on a bigger stage.

Reflecting on his move, Okoli expressed his excitement: “I think now is the right moment for me to make a step forward and a very big one. I’m very happy with the choice I made, so I’m very excited to start in the Premier League. Now I’m here in Leicester I’m feeling ready to start with my new team.”

He added, “The Premier League is the best league in the world. Leicester is a beautiful club, an important club and the two combined together, so I took this opportunity to come and express myself in the Premier League.”