Lazio Shifts Focus to Pinamonti After Dieng Deal Falls Through
Lazio’s attacking blueprint has been torn up and redrawn in a matter of hours.
Bamba Dieng was supposed to be the answer. Instead, according to Calcio Mercato, the Senegal forward failed his medical, collapsing a deal that had been pushed towards the finish line. With the move dead, the Biancocelesti were forced into an immediate rethink.
Gennaro Gattuso did not waste time.
The Lazio coach has turned decisively to Sassuolo’s Andrea Pinamonti, making the Italian his clear first choice to lead the line. Among the options on the market, the 1999-born striker has surged to the top of the club’s list as the preferred solution to reinforce the attack.
Crucially, Pinamonti has already asked to leave Sassuolo. That request gives Lazio leverage and a sense that the door is open. The Rome club now sit in a strong position, but they are not alone at the table.
Fiorentina are lurking.
The Viola are tracking the striker situation closely and could move if Moise Kean completes his heavily-rumoured switch to Como. Should Kean go, Fiorentina’s need for a centre-forward sharpens, and Pinamonti immediately becomes a tempting target. For now, though, Lazio remain ahead in the race, working from the front rather than chasing from behind.
For Gattuso, landing Pinamonti would be the final piece of a busy summer puzzle.
Lazio have already reshaped significant parts of the squad: Alfonso Pedraza has arrived from Villarreal, Davide Frattesi has been secured on loan from Inter Milan, and Danilho Doekhi has joined from Union Berlin. Pinamonti would add something different again – a striker with proven Serie A know-how and a recent track record to back it up.
His nine goals for Sassuolo in the 2025–26 campaign underlined his reliability in Italy’s top flight. Not spectacular numbers, but solid, repeatable output for a side fighting in the lower half. In a more ambitious environment, Lazio believe that ceiling can be pushed higher.
The clock is now part of the story.
With the transfer window edging towards its close, attention turns to the negotiations between Lazio and Sassuolo. The clubs are expected to hold decisive talks in the coming days, working through the structure of the deal and the financial details that will determine whether this late pivot becomes a completed signing.
Gattuso wants clarity fast. The coach is eager to get his potential new No. 9 on the training pitch, integrated into the system and ready to start games without delay. Every session counts when a forward is being asked to arrive and lead the line immediately.
If Lazio can strike an agreement with Sassuolo in time, Pinamonti’s arrival will not just plug the gap left by Dieng’s failed move. It will mark a dramatic late-window twist that could define the shape of Gattuso’s first season in Rome.
