The harsh reality for Serie A fans is that their favourite players are likely to leave their respective clubs when they’re offered a lucrative deal to join another high-profile league.
Such has been the case in the last few years, as most of them joined the other top leagues in Europe, but this year, the Saudi Pro League is also in the mix.
With the objective of elevating the competition, several Saudi Arabian sides have already started trying to lure stars to join the movement, with Inter Milan in particular currently in their crosshairs.
Napoli, meanwhile, are being eyed for a possible raid after defying the SBOTOP Serie A 2023 odds to win their first Scudetto in over three decades, and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is going to have to make big decisions this summer, which is also the case for Juventus and Atalanta.
Saudi Pro League clubs plan Inter Milan swoop
Saudi Pro League teams have kept tabs on Stefan de Vrij, Romelu Lukaku, and Marcelo Brozovic.
Lukaku’s loan stint with Inter Milan just ended recently, so he’s back with Chelsea. The Blues were reportedly trying to arrange a deal to send some of their players to the Gulf in order to trim down their bloated squad, and the Belgian striker was apparently part of the proposal.
Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, and Edouard Mendy have already taken the (oil) money offers, but Lukaku rejected the idea of moving to the Gulf, making it very clear that he wants to stay in Europe for now. Lukaku actually wants to go back to Inter Milan, but that means that the Nerazzurri would have to take another loan or buy him permanently.
Stefan de Vrij is another player who is ready to turn down a huge money offer from Saudi Arabia. His current contract with the Nerazzurri runs out at the end of this month, so he was offered to join Al-Shabab, who finished fourth in the league in 2022-23.
The Dutch centre-back is keen on staying, but he hasn’t signed a new extension just yet, so there’s a possibility that he might leave on a free transfer. Teams such as Manchester United, Aston Villa, Villarreal, and Marseille have been linked with him.
Marcelo Brozovic has been a key player for Inter Milan in the past few years, but despite signing an extension that will run until the summer of 2026, he might be on the move.
Al-Nassr are reportedly working to sign Brozovic this summer, and Inter Milan are expected to bring in Davide Frattesi as the replacement for the Croatian ace.
Osimhen expected to stay at Napoli
Victor Osimhen took Serie A by storm when he won both the Scudetto and the Capocannoniere award last season, so it’s natural for him to attract suitors from rival teams this summer.
However, team owner Aurelio De Laurentiis said that the Nigerian striker is likely to stay in Naples, saying that they have an agreement in principle to extend his current contract for two more years.
Napoli signed Osimhen for around €70 million from Lille in the summer of 2020, making him the most expensive signing in club history.
Napoli were reportedly willing to let Osimhen go for an exorbitant transfer fee of at least £150 million, but it seems that teams such as Manchester United, PSG, and Bayern Munich are unwilling to meet their valuation.
The Partenopei are already going to lose centre-back Kim Min-Jae to Bayern Munich this summer, so they cannot afford to lose someone like Osimhen ahead of their title defence next season.
Vlahovic, Hojlund might go to the Premier League
After a challenging season on and especially off the pitch, there’s a growing sentiment that many Juventus players might leave this summer, including Vlahovic.
Vlahovic was signed by the Turin giants for around €70 million during the January transfer window in 2021. Despite missing games due to injuries, the Serbian was the team’s top scorer with 14 goals, and he’s being eyed by the likes of Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Chelsea.
Over in Bergamo, Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund is one of those names to watch this summer. The 20-year-old joined La Dea last summer from Sturm Graz, and he had a great debut season with 10 goals and other Serie A 2023 highlights.Atalanta have set a €60 million price tag to sell Hojlund, with Manchester United expected to make a bid. Hojlund also shares the same agency as Erik ten Hag, which might be a signal that he might leave Italy soon.
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