ANKARA

The Italian football club Atalanta is mourning the loss of Willy Ta Bi after the Ivorian youngster died of cancer on Tuesday.

"President Antonio Percassi and the whole Atalanta family are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Willy Braciano Ta Bi. Goodbye, Willy…" the Serie A club said in a statement.

French sports daily L'Equipe said that the 21-year-old midfielder had long been suffering from liver cancer, which did not let him play the game since June 2019.

Ta Bi joined Atalanta Primavera in January 2019 from Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosas.

He won the 2019 Italian youth title with Atalanta Primavera.