By James Attah Ansah and Simon Awuriki
Serie A has been buzzing with activity, demonstrating a clear focus on securing top talent, even in the twilight of their careers, through clever free-agent acquisitions. Napoli has been particularly aggressive, earning the title of ‘Transfer Market Kings’ so far. The defending champions have made a statement by signing Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer from Manchester City.
Notable arrivals for Juventus include Francisco Conceicao permanently from Porto, Nico Gonzalez from Fiorentina, Lloyd Kelly from Newcastle United, Pierre Kalulu from AC Milan and Jonathan David from Lille on a free transfer, among others.
Inter Milan arrivals comprise Ange-Yoan Bonny from Parma and Luis Henrique on permanent bases, among others.
AC Milan has also followed suit, bringing in the legendary Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić on a free from Real Madrid. Beyond the big names, Italian clubs are also investing heavily in their future. Milan acquired the talented midfielder Samuele Ricci from Torino, while Roma has made a major move by signing the highly rated Brazilian defender Wesley Franca.
Alvaro Morata has joined Como on loan with an obligation to buy from fellow Serie A side AC Milan, the two clubs announced on Tuesday. The 32-year-old spent the final few months of last season on loan at Galatasaray after falling out of favour at the San Siro.
In terms of departures, a noteworthy story is the sale of last season’s top scorer, Mateo Retegui, from Atalanta to Al-Qadsiah for €68 million, which is the most expensive departure from the league this window.
US international Timothy Weah has joined Marseille on loan from Juventus with an option to buy, the French club confirmed. The 25-year-old winger arrives on loan for one million euros with a purchase option of 14 million euros ($16,000), according to several media reports. The son of the only African Ballon d’Or winner in history and former Liberian president George Weah has played for Italian club Juventus since 2023.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen completed his permanent move to Turkish champions Galatasaray in a 75 million euro ($87.5 million) four-year deal. A key figure in Napoli’s 2023 title triumph, Osimhen spent last season on loan at Galatasaray, scoring 26 goals in 30 league games as the Istanbul club claimed their 25th Super Lig crown.
Also, Atletico Madrid have signed Italy forward Giacomo Raspadori from Serie A champions Napoli on a five-year contract, the La Liga club announced on Monday. Raspadori, who also won the Scudetto with Napoli in 2023, has joined for 20 million euros ($23.2 million), according to Spanish media reports.
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