Lazio and Salernitana are prohibited from making deals, but they might have tried to circumvent the arrangement. Claudio Lotito had to give up the Granata as it is unlawful to own two teams in the same league. He had to institute a trust, which will be in charge for six months, to find a buyer. The two clubs can not interact during the proceeding.
The Italian Football Association is considering opening an inquiry to look into a deadline day move, La Repubblica reports. Lazio released Cedric Gondo, who spent the last two seasons on loan at Salernitana. The 24-year-old striker quickly reached an agreement to join the Granata as a free agent. The Federation and the League stepped in and temporarily blocked the signing. They want to see whether there were any illegal interactions beforehand.
The Gondo affair is not the only situation raising questions about whether the two sides actually decoupled. During a hearing for a mobbing trial involving Alessio Cerci, Salernitana chose Michele Gentile, Lotito’s personal lawyer, as their representative. Moreover, the auditor Ulderico Granata was previously among the staff of the communication company of the Lazio president.
The trust has the mandate to sell the team by the end of December. Some foreign consortiums showed some interest. However, the negotiations are still in their infant stages. The Campani had a very strict budget, but they still managed to land Simy from Crotone, beating multiple low-table teams to sign him for €6M. They lost the first two matches against Bologna and Roma.