The January transfer window is approaching its final days and hours and the transfer market has completely heated up as of late. Juventus and Inter Milan made two crucial signings that shaped up this month’s market, with the Bianconeri landing Fiorentina’s Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović and the Nerazzurri nabbing German left back Robin Gosens from Atalanta. With the those two dominoes fallen, what else should we expect from Serie A clubs in the last hours of the transfer window?
Here are four storylines we’re keeping an eye on:
1. Juventus on fire
Give Juventus credit for being the most active side in this final week of the market with the €75 million (add-ons included) deal for Vlahović — a surprise move considering he was on the radar of multiple Premier League clubs in the past month, including Arsenal who never got positive feedback from the player after agreeing on the fee with Fiorentina.
Juventus didn’t wait for the summer — when other clubs could join the race — and Vlahović reached an agreement with the club on a deal until 2026 worth €7 million per season. Fiorentina waited until the end to understand the position of the player and used that time to work on finding his replacement. That’s where Brazilian striker Arthur Cabral comes in, who will be the new Viola striker, joining Fiorentina from Basel FC for around €16 million (add-ons included).
While Juventus finally acquired a top striker to build around for the next few years, the club will need to find a solution for Alvaro Morata, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season. Juve don’t have any plans to trigger their option to buy Morata, and because of that, the Spanish striker is possibly seeking a winter exit. The biggest hold-up is that Barcelona — Atletico Madrid’s direct La Liga rival — have expressed the most interest in his services. Although Xavi has made a strong push, the two sides have not yet found an agreement, which could lead to Morata staying in Turin barring any last-minute surprise bids ahead of Monday’s deadline.
That’s not all for the most active club in this window, as they continue to work on departures. Tottenham made an approach for 21-year-old Swedish striker Dejan Kulusevski, with director of football Fabio Paratici keen to find a positive solution in the near future after failing to sign Adama Traoré, who is Barcelona-bound, and Luis Diaz, who is in advanced talks with Liverpool. Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, 24, has garnered interest from Premier League clubs as well, with Aston Villa in talks to sign him. If Allegri’s team manages to sell several players, don’t be surprised if they try to sign another player with the likely first name on the list being Uruguayan midfielder Nahitan Nández from Cagliari.
2. Inter Milan made two signings
The Serie A leaders were not expected to be the headliners of this transfer window, but that’s what happened (along with Juve) on the final week with the signing of Gosens in what could turn out to be a real bargain for one of the top left backs in European soccer. He joins the Nerazzurri on an initial loan for the remainder of the season in a deal that comes with an obligation to buy this summer for €25 million (add-ons included).
The 27-year-old, who has been sidelined since September with a thigh injury, underwent the medicals on Thursday. He is viewed as a long-term investment and key cog in the Inter Milan squad as he works his way back from injury, which could take approximately five weeks. It’s also worth noting that Ivan Perisic’s contract is due to expire in a few months, and although negotiations over a new deal have started and will continue in the next weeks, the addition of Gosens might change the strategy of both the club and Perisic himself. Simone Inzaghi can now work with another important player, one of the best in Italian soccer as a left-wing in the 3-5-2 formation.
Inter Milan don’t appear to be done with their winter business as they work on adding former Lazio striker Felipe Caicedo, 33, to the mix as their backup striker. Caicedo, who will join the Nerazzurri on loan from Genoa until the end of the season, was one of Simone Inzaghi’s favorite players when they were both at Lazio. The two will now reunite with the chance to work together on winning the scudetto for Inter.
Inter Milan are already busy working ahead for the summer, with the two main targets coming from Sassuolo. Midfielder Davide Frattesi and striker Gianluca Scamacca will be the main focus for the club in the next months.
3. Will AC Milan come away with a center back?
Among the top Italian clubs, AC Milan were the only one expected to make a center back signing for the winter. The first target was Lille defender Sven Botman but the Rossoneri ran into a roadblock over the high requests made by of the French club. They weren’t the only team turned down by Lille as Newcastle saw an approximate €40 million denied as Lille declared Botman as non-transferable in January.
Don’t be surprised if you see AC Milan’s name linked to Botman again in the summer rumor mill, but for now they are currently seeking opportunities for younger talent, though it’s unclear if they’ll find a center back before the deadline buzzer sounds. German center back Malick Thiaw, 20, is someone else they’re targeting, but Schalke 04’s high asking price could spoil a deal from happening in the coming days.
Speaking of young talent, AC Milan recently interrupted the loan of Pietro Pellegri from AS Monaco. The former Genoa player will play for Torino until the end of the season. To replace the 20-year-old forward, sporting director Paolo Maldini signed 18-year-old Serbian striker Marko Lazetić out of Red Star for approximately €4 million.
4. Salernitana desperately trying it all
Stefano Colantuono’s Salernitana currently sit last with only 10 points and are in desperate need of a miraculous turnaround to keep them up and avoid relegation for next season. The always charismatic Walter Sabatini, the club’s new sporting director who has had previous stops at AS Roma and Inter Milan, is trying to leave his mark on this window and make important signings to keep his club afloat.
Although Sabatini’s ambitious attempt to land Diego Costa was unsuccessful, he managed to sign attacking midfielder Simone Verdi from Torino and goalkeeper Luigi Sepe from Parma. They are also closing in on possibly signing Torino defender Armando Izzo and will likely make attempts to sign several more in the final hours of the window, making them a team to keep an eye on come Monday.
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