TRIESTE, ITALY - MARCH 29: Marco Carnesecchi of Italy U21 in action during the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifier match between Italy U21 and Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 at Stadio Nereo Rocco on March 29, 2022 in Trieste, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Lazio Keen on Purchasing Budding Atalanta Goalkeeper

Lazio are in the market for a new starting goalkeeper, and Marco Carnesecchi has surpassed the other options on their shortlist. Thomas Strakosha will depart at the end of his expiring contract. The Biancocelesti have cast a wide net to fill the void.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, they have already reached out to Atalanta to negotiate for the former Cremonese loanee. La Dea are open to listening to the offers but have slapped a €15M price tag on the youngster. Instead, the counterpart proposed €5M less. The parties could come to terms on a particular formula should they eventually agree on the fee. It could be being a loan with an obligation to buy and include the percentage of a future sale.

Carnesecchi drew the attention of Lazio, and other Serie A sides, thanks to his strong performances in Serie B in the last two seasons. He was highly instrumental in the Grigiorossi’s promotion, which are trying to have him back for another campaign. The Biancocelesti might not have to look for two options after all. Their qualification to Europa League automatically added another year to Pepe Reina’s contract, and he appears willing to stick around as a backup.

Our Take on Lazio Going After Carnesecchi

The young shot-stopper would be a top-end choice given his age, impressive physical tools and reliability. Atalanta have already pulled off this gambit before, cashing in youngsters that were not linchpins, for instance with Dejan Kulusevski. However, Juan Musso has not exactly been impressive this season. Rather than selling Carnesecchi to Lazio for a decent but not hefty fee, La Dea would be wise to send him out on loan again and revisit the situation in a year. There is a good chance they have a better starter in-house.