Official: Cagliari sign Daniel Maldini on loan from Atalanta

Cagliari have completed the signing of Daniel Maldini from Atalanta, with the attacking midfielder moving to Sardinia on a season-long loan. The club confirmed the deal on Sunday 9 August, announcing that the move includes an option to buy which becomes an obligation if certain sporting conditions are met.

According to Tuttosport, the clause is triggered by two targets: Cagliari remaining in Serie A and Maldini scoring 10 goals. The structure gives the island club protection while rewarding a strong campaign from a player who has spent much of his career moving between Italy's leading clubs.

Maldini, born in Milan in 2001, is the son of Paolo Maldini, the former AC Milan and Italy captain. He came through the Rossoneri's youth system and made his senior debut at San Siro before spells with Monza and Atalanta, joining the Bergamo club in January 2025. His time there brought 22 appearances, three goals and one assist across two half-seasons, followed by a loan at Lazio last season.

At Cagliari he joins a side rebuilding for the new Serie A campaign and looking for creativity between the lines. Comfortable as a number 10, on the wing or as a second striker, he gives the rossoblù a different dimension in the final third — a low-risk gamble for a club that has rarely been able to attract names of this pedigree in recent years.

If the conditions are met, the loan will become a permanent transfer, and Cagliari will have secured one of the most interesting attacking options in their squad. For Maldini, it is a chance to make the family name his own in Serie A, away from the spotlight of the big-city clubs where he has previously played.

Sources

• Tuttosport
• Corriere dello Sport