Lazio, who have been relatively quiet in the January transfer window, could be bracing themselves for a busy deadline day. Per Sky Sport Italia, the Biancocelesti will make a late push to sign out-of-favour Atalanta trequartista Aleksei Miranchuk.
With only two days left before the winter transfer window comes to a close, Lazio are hopeful of completing a last-gasp signing to improve their top-four bid. Maurizio Sarri’s men languish in eighth in the Serie A standings, seven points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta, who also have a game in hand.
But the Biancocelesti are plotting a late raid on non-other than La Dea, as they consider launching a loan bid with an option to buy. Sarri desperately lacks creativity in the middle of the park, following Luis Alberto’s noticeable dip in form this season.
The Spaniard has been the beating heart of Lazio’s attacking movements over the past couple of seasons. However, he seems to have lost his mojo on the back of a long-running contract saga back in the summer, as he continues to underperform under the new manager.
Therefore, Lazio have laid their eyes on Miranchuk, who has been in and out of Gian Piero Gasperini’s starting line-up this season. The 26-year-old has clocked up 13 Serie A appearances so far, only five of which were starts, contributing a goal and an assist in the process.
But with Atalanta’s concerns over Josip Ilicic’s mental health increasingly growing, it appears that Gasperini is keen to keep hold of Miranchuk. The Russian playmaker has deputised for his senior colleague in recent times, as the Slovenian star suffers from depression again.
Although Atalanta will do everything in their power to help Ilicic overcome these tumultuous times, there’s a question mark hanging over his head. It remains uncertain whether he’d feature for La Dea again this season, let alone in the coming weeks. That enhances the prospect of Miranchuk staying put in Bergamo.
Adding to this sentiment, Atalanta would be foolish to let one of their stars depart for direct top-four rivals halfway through the season. So as things stand right now, Lazio could end up empty-handed.