With the transfer window almost closing, SBOTOP provides you with some of the latest Serie A transfer news and updates. It’s been a relatively quiet transfer window for the Italian top flight, but it was definitely not insignificant.
Top clubs like Napoli made bold moves, letting go of the reliable Elmas and deciding to go with a newer face, Cyril Ngonge. Meanwhile, Supercoppa Italiana champions Inter Milan bolstered their roster and acquired an insurance transfer, Tajon Buchanan. On the other side of the league table, Verona started selling players, which included Ngonge.
Clubs from top to bottom of the league standings aspire for strong 2024 campaigns, and transfer moves could be the key to get them over the hump. So, read more below for an in-depth read on the closing January transfer window of Serie A.
Eljif Elmas joins Leipzig but welcomes Ngonge
Napoli are among the few clubs in Serie A that are having a proactive January transfer window, moving and acquiring key pieces in hopes of bolstering their squad for the second half of the season.
One of their biggest moves is their decision to part ways with the serviceable midfielder, Eljif Elmas. Elmas has been a sturdy piece for the Blues, making 36 appearances during their 2022–23 championship season.
The Macedonian international gave Napoli a big boost on the offencive end of the pitch, scoring six goals and claiming three assists en route to the scudetto while netting two goals in 11 appearances this season to boot.
The promising 24-year-old now calls the German top flight his home. Acquired by RB Leipzig, Elmas has a great opportunity to blossom into one of the most talented and versatile players in the Bundesliga. Even though he has yet to tally a win with his new club, he made appearances in both bouts against Frankfurt and Leverkusen.
Marco Rose could be planning something special for his new player; it’s only a matter of time until Elmas is fully incorporated into the Leipzig system.
The Blues aren’t left empty-handed, though. Walter Mazzarri might’ve gotten the most back for their buck, acquiring the budding Belgian, Cryil Ngonge, from the struggling Verona for €18 million.
The 23-year-old winger has been fantastic for Gialloblu this season, scoring six goals and dishing out two assists in 19 appearances. With the opportunity to play for a contending team, it would be safe to assume that both Ngonge and Napoli are happy with their chances to improve in the second half of the Serie A season.
Inter acquires Tajon Buchanan
Inter Milan, the Serie A 2024 odds favourites, continue their quest for the scudetto by acquiring the budding right-back, Tajon Buchanan. With this signing, Buchanan becomes the first ever Canadian to play in the Italian top flight.
The former New England and Club Brugge star completed a transfer to Inter Milan with a price tag of €7 million. And with the budget they have for loaning Eddie Salcedo and Lucien Agoumé, the acquisition of Buchanan seems like a bargain.
The 24-year-old completed his transfer back on January 5, but he has yet to make an appearance for Inzaghi’s I Nerazzurri. Despite conceding the top spot in the Serie A table, Inter Milan managed to beat Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana yesterday, making them the winningest club (8 titles) since the tournament’s birth in 1988.
For now, Inter Milan fans will just have to wait and see if the addition of Buchanan will translate into better Serie A 2024 results moving forward.
Radu Drăgușin leaves Genoa for Tottenham
Another Serie A product has yet again left the league for greener pastures in other competitive top flights. Genoa’s Radu Drăgușin was considered to be one of the best young centre-backs in the Italian top flight, anchoring Genoa’s defence with a sound, surgical, precise, and most of all, reliable style of play.
The 21-year-old was the subject of interest from numerous illustrious outfits, including German league champions Bayern Munich and Italian league champions Napoli, but the budding star opted to move to north London and join the poised Tottenham Hotspur.
With a price tag of €31 million, Drăgușin is now the most expensive Romanian player in football history and the fourth Romanian player to join Tottenham, after Ilie Dumitrescu, Gică Popescu, and Vlad Chiricheș.
His deal to the Spurs also included a swap deal, sending defender Djed Spence to Il Grifone on loan until the end of the 2023–24 season with an option to buy for €10 million. Tottenham will also shoulder Spence’s wages until the summer.
With Drăgușin in the lineup for Ange Postecoglou, the needle could definitely move for the Spurs once the defender gets fully acquainted with his new squad.
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