Maurizio Sarri penned his new contract with Lazio yesterday. The new deal will run through 2025, with no options or exit clauses. The gaffer will earn €3.5M per year. After the discord in the previous window, he was assured that director Igli Tare would follow his transfer market advice more, Alfredo Pedullà informs.
Marco Carnesecchi is the top choice between the sticks, with Guglielmo Vicario as an alternative. The coach favors Emerson Palmieri over Fabiano Parisi at left-back. The closest player to joining is Marcos Antonio, whose acquisition from Shakhtar Donetsk just needs to be formalized. He will replace Lucas Leiva, who will leave at the end of his deal.
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Sarri signed off on Lazio bringing in Alessio Romagnoli. However, they need to find a new team for Francesco Acerbi before raising their proposal. The two defenders are both left-footed and have sizeable wages.
The midfield will be in flux as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto could depart, but only for worthy offers. The Biancocelesti want €70/80M for the former and €25/30M for the latter. Ivan Ilic could be a candidate to replace one of the two. The coach likes Piotr Zielinski a lot. A swap with Napoli involving the 29-year-old Spaniard could become a possibility down the line.
Offensively, Sarri suggested Lazio went after Dries Mertens, whom he prefers over Francesco Caputo and the other options to back up Ciro Immobile. The Belgian veteran is waiting for his team’s final offer before making up his mind.
Our Take on Sarri Renewing with Lazio
Either side would have been hard-pressed to find a better situation, so it was optimal for them to stick together. Lazio might naturally take a step forward next season without an adaptation period to Sarri-ball. But the question marks about Milinkovic-Savic’s future loom large.