Italian Striker With Expiring Contract ‘Pushing’ for Lazio Move

Sassuolo forward Andrea Pinamonti is reportedly keen to join Lazio before the end of the summer, but his transfer will require a special arrangement.

In the last 24 hours or so, the Biancocelesti have been working on signing Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi. Interestingly, the Italian international shares the same agent (Giuseppe Riso) as Lorenzo Lucca and Pinamonti, two strikers who are on Angelo Fabiani’s shortlist.

But while Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla believes the Aquile could revive their interest in Lucca, most sources would agree that Pinamonti is the more plausible track. The 27-year-old has been considered Lazio’s main target after missing out on Lens-bound Franjo Ivanovic, and practically giving up on AC Milan misfit Santiago Gimenez.

According to Italian journalist Damiano Er Faina (who was the first to break Lazio’s interest in Frattesi), Pinamonti is ‘pushing’ to join the Italian capital club. However, Lazio cannot afford to buy the Inter Milan youth product this summer, so they’re proposing a loan with an option to buy that could become mandatory under certain conditions.

The issue is that Pinamonti’s contract with Sassuolo will expire in June 2027, so he cannot leave on a temporary formula. Nevertheless, the deal includes an option for a one-year extension, so the solution would be to trigger this clause and push back the deadline until 2028, before sanctioning a move to Lazio.

Il Corriere dello Sport also reports the same formula, revealing that the Neroverdi’s asking price is €15 million. Therefore, the Aquile could sign the player on a €3 million loan with a buy clause set at €12 million.

Moreover, Il Messaggero confirms all the above, while adding that Petar Ratkov is the most likely candidate to make way for Pinamonti’s arrival, with Dynamo Moscow already offering €15 million for the Serbian.

Conversely, Boulaye Dia is expected to stay despite his goalscoring woes, as, unlike Ratkov, he managed to convince Gennaro Gattuso, at least from a tactical standpoint. Finally, Gabriele Artistico’s future has yet to be defined. The 24-year-old would leave if a satisfactory offer arrived; otherwise, he could remain as a third option in attack, given that Dia could be used in different roles.