Atlas FC had targeted Grigoris Kastanos, a midfielder for Hellas Verona and captain of the Cyprus national team, before turning to Ryan Mmaee. According to Kerkida.net, Atlas FC made a move to acquire Kastanos from Hellas Verona, presenting the player with a high financial offer. Despite the financial terms, Kastanos rejected the offer. The reason for this was the player's wish to continue his career in European football and remain with Hellas Verona for the time being.

According to Tuttomercato, Grigoris Kastanos stated he has two years remaining on his contract with Hellas Verona and will be returning to the club. He said he will assess his future with the club and his agent. Kastanos does not rule out leaving but also does not rule out staying. He clarified that he never stated he was 100% certain about wanting to leave Verona and has never had any issues with the club or its fans. Kastanos also noted that the decision to leave Verona was not his alone, explaining that if it had been, he would have departed earlier and not on the final day of the transfer window.

Cypriot midfielder Grigoris Kastanos, 28, stated that he still has two years left on his contract, that they have not yet talked with Verona but negotiations will begin as soon as they meet, that he is looking for a new club, that his intention is to leave, and that he will return and then they will see how things go. Kastanos also said that there are interested teams, that he is now focusing on the national team, and then they will see. He has earned 78 caps and scored 9 goals for Cyprus, and his current Transfermarkt market value is €1.30m.