Lazio's Transfer Focus: Icardi and Bissouma
Lazio are still shopping.
With the transfer window closed, the club have turned fully to the free-agent market, weighing up high-profile names like Mauro Icardi and Yves Bissouma as they look to fine-tune Gennaro Gattuso’s squad.
They have room to manoeuvre. After snapping up Portuguese defender Diogo Leite on a free, the Biancocelesti still have two vacant spots in their official Serie A list, created by the omissions of Patric and Luca Pellegrini.
Lotito tempted by Icardi
Club president Claudio Lotito has not hidden his curiosity about Icardi. The former Inter striker is still without a club after leaving Galatasaray, and according to Corriere dello Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, his name remains firmly on Lotito’s desk.
A proven finisher, a familiar face in Italian football, a marquee signing available for nothing. On paper, it looks like the kind of opportunity Lotito likes to pounce on.
But the bench tells a different story.
Gattuso’s doubts up front
Gattuso is not pushing for Icardi. Far from it.
When he laid out his plans for the season, the coach asked for a more mobile No 9, someone who could stretch defences, press from the front and fit the intensity he demands. That request brought Andrea Pinamonti to Rome late in the summer window.
For Gattuso, the priority now is clear: get Pinamonti fully fit, fully integrated, and leading the line. Icardi, in his eyes, sits low on the list of needs rather than at the top of a wish list.
The gap between president and coach is not explosive, but it is there. Lotito is intrigued by the name. Gattuso is focused on the system.
Bissouma enters the frame
While the Icardi debate simmers, another option has surfaced in midfield.
Yves Bissouma, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, has emerged as a candidate to reinforce the centre of the park. Recent injuries in midfield have stretched Lazio’s options, and Bissouma’s profile — energy, ball-winning, Premier League experience — makes him an attractive solution on a free.
His is a different kind of opportunity: less glamour than a headline striker, more directly tied to a current need.
No rush from Rome
Despite the open slots and the big names, Lazio are not racing to sign anyone.
The club intend to take their time, monitor the physical condition and motivations of both players, and weigh them carefully against the balance of the squad and Gattuso’s demands.
Two places are available. The market is full of free agents. The question now is whether Lazio turn temptation into action, or trust what they already have as the season tightens.
