The January transfer window has been relatively quiet in Serie A, with clubs unwilling or unable to commit vast funds towards transfers mid-season, although it hasn’t stopped movement within the Italian top flight, with AS Roma, Lazio, and Fiorentina all active.
Serie A‘s total spend of €31.22 million pales in comparison to the eye-watering figures thrown around in the Premier League, with Chelsea‘s €329.5m outlay alone making up a significant part of the €829.81m spent in England this winter, according to Transfermarkt.com.
Whilst the likes of Weston McKennie joining Leeds United from Juventus, and Jakub Kiwior swapping Spezia for Arsenal, have caught the eye, there have been plenty of Serie A transfers that went under the radar.
Diego Llorente – Leeds United to AS Roma
Spain international centre-back Diego Llorente completed a deadline day loan move to AS Roma from Leeds United, after falling out of favour at the Premier League club, and the Lupi have an option to make the deal permanent for €18m in the summer.
The 29-year-old endured a difficult spell at Elland Road after arriving from Real Sociedad in 2020, but will hope to reignite his career under Jose Mourinho after being given his professional debut by the Portuguese coach at Real Madrid in 2013.
Hamed Traore – Sassuolo to Bournemouth
Sassuolo pride themselves on developing young talent and bringing in significant fees when moving them on, and midfielder Hamed Traore is the latest in the production line, after joining Bournemouth on loan with a view to a €20m transfer in June.
The Ivorian joined Sassuolo from Empoli in 2019 and scored 18 goals in 111 appearances for the Neroverdi, and was picked up by Bournemouth after they were spurned by Nicolo Zaniolo.
Ivan Ilic – Hellas Verona to Torino
Torino have been enjoying a positive season in Serie A and have sought to boost their hopes of a push for a top-half finish by swooping for Hellas Verona‘s Ivan Ilic.
The Serbia international departs the struggling Gialloblu and makes the move to Turin on loan until the end of the season, as one of eight players to leave Verona in January.
Eldor Shomurodov – AS Roma to Spezia
With the arrivals of Paulo Dybala, Andrea Belotti, and Ola Solbakken to complement Tammy Abraham, there has been little room for Eldor Shomurodov in AS Roma‘s attack this season.
The Uzbek striker has only made six Serie A appearances, without scoring, and has netted once in two Europa League outings, with Roma moving him on to struggling Spezia on loan until the end of the campaign.
Florian Thauvin – Tigres to Udinese
Udinese are flying high in seventh place in Serie A and have boosted their slim hopes of European qualification by bringing in French World Cup winner Florian Thauvin on a free transfer, after his contract with Mexican club Tigres was controversially terminated.
The 30-year-old winger enjoyed success across two spells with Marseille prior to making the surprise move to Monterrey in 2021, and after being informed that his services with the Liga MX club were no longer required, has returned to Europe with the Zebrette.
Luca Pellegrini – Juventus to Lazio
Former AS Roma fullback Luca Pellegrini has returned to the Stadio Olimpico, but has crossed the capital’s divide by signing for Lazio on loan from Juventus.
The 23-year-old joined Juventus in 2019 but has failed to establish himself and saw a loan at Eintracht Frankfurt terminated in January to facilitate a move back to Serie A. Pellegrini has since revealed his boyhood affiliation with Lazio, despite coming through Roma‘s academy.
Sasa Lukic – Torino to Fulham
Torino lost one of their key players on deadline as midfielder Sasa Lukic ended speculation linking him with AS Roma and completed a transfer to Premier League club Fulham, with the Cottagers reported to have forked out €9.1m for the Serb.
The midfielder had provided two goals in 16 Serie A appearances before completing the switch to West London, and the Granata moved quickly to replace him by swooping for Sampdoria‘s Ronaldo Vieira.
Josip Brekalo – Wolfsburg to Fiorentina
Fiorentina‘s greatest success in the transfer window was fighting off interest in midfielder Sofyan Amrabat after his excellent World Cup campaign with Morocco, though there is cause for excitement in Florence with the arrival of Josip Brekalo.
The winger joins from Wolfsburg in a remarkably low €1.5m deal, courtesy of his expiring contract, and returns to Italy after spending last season on loan at Torino. The Granata had been keen to keep him, but were unable to reach an agreement with Wolfsburg.
Nedim Bajrami – Empoli to Sassuolo
Sassuolo moved quickly to replace Traore by swooping for Empoli star Nedim Bajrami, with the attacking midfielder playing a key role in the Azzurri’s positive campaign so far.
The Albania international moved to the Mapei Stadium on an initial loan, but this is expected to be converted into a permanent transfer in the summer. Having featured in all but one of Empoli‘s league matches this season, they are set to be hard pressed to replace him.
Salvatore Sirigu – Napoli to Fiorentina
Fiorentina looked to revive their faltering season by adding experienced goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu to their ranks, just six months after he joined league leaders Napoli. With Alex Meret untouchable for the Partenopei, Sirigu has not had a look in and has sought to revive his career at the Stadio Artemio Franchi by moving on a free transfer.
Napoli have replaced him with the loan signing of Pierluigi Gollini from Atalanta, after the ex-Tottenham Hotspur man fell out of favour under Gian Piero Gasperini.
