Giovanni Simeone was a surprise report on July 26, but now Torino are on the verge of an €8m deal with Napoli, while talks continue for Gaetano Oristanio, Jay Idzes and Kassoum Ouattara too.

It had been an exclusive here over a week ago that the Granata were interested in Simeone and the negotiations have reached the final details to get an agreement over the line.

Napoli are ready to give the all clear for him to undergo his medical, with the fee set at a total of around €8m.

Simeone’s arrival will allow Duvan Zapata all the time he needs to make a full recovery from that serious knee injury.

Torino intensifying transfer activity in August

Meanwhile, Torino are also working hard on other deals, as we already saw our exclusives on Ardian Ismajli, Franco Israel and Cyril Ngonge pan out.

They remain very interested in Oristanio, a link we made exclusively here on June 27, and over the next few days there will be more discussions with Venezia.

A deal could be done on loan without the obligation to buy, but only an option, so we shall see.

Their meeting with Venezia could also stretch to a conversation about Idzes, although Sassuolo remain on his tail too, in case Saul Coco is sold.

Watch out also for AS Monaco left-back Ouattara, as revealed by ToroZone, who is also on their radar.

Sassuolo, Torino and Verona have held talks with Venezia over their captain Jay Idzes who is valued at €10m.

Three Serie A clubs, Sassuolo, Verona and Torino, have held talks over a possible move for Venezia captain Idzes this summer.

Verona the first club to call Venezia for Idzes

Sources tell me that Verona were the first club to establish contact with Atalanta, while Sassuolo are interested in both Idzes and Fali Candé and have held talks for both defenders.

Torino held talks over Oristanio and Idzes

Torino have also spoken to Venezia in recent days. The Granata are long-time admirers of Gaetano Oristanio and while trying to reach an agreement over the transfer formula for the Italian striker, they have also mentioned Idzes in negotiations with Venezia.

Torino may have the funds to beat their competitors if Saul Coco quickly accepts an offer from Spartak Moscow,  but everything can still happen on the Idzes front, bearing in mind that Venezia value their captain at €10m.

Reports in Italy claim that Patrick Vieira and Genoa already have two ideal candidates in mind to replace Koni De Winter should he end up leaving for either Inter or AFC Bournemouth this window. 

Reports over the last week confirm that Inter and Bournemouth are both interested in picking up former Juventus Next Gen centre-back De Winter in the event that one of their starting centre-halves decide to leave this window. 

For Inter, there had been reports of a Premier League bid for Yann Bisseck, while Bournemouth could lose Illia Zabarnyi to Paris Saint-Germain, on top of the previous sale of Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid. 

Who could replace De Winter at Genoa? 

If De Winter is sold this summer, Genoa will also find themselves in need of a replacement. 

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, Genoa’s first choice if De Winter leaves would be to sign 25-year-old Jay Idzes, who is expected to be available for transfer following Venezia’s relegation to Serie B at the end of the 2024-25 season. 

The Indonesia international, who took part in 35 out of a possible 38 Serie A matches last season, is expected to be available for a fee in the region of €10m this summer. 

Alternatively, Calciomercato suggests that Genoa could turn to Bologna centre-back Martin Erlic to replace De Winter this summer. 

Bologna are not expected to stand in the Croatian’s way if an appropriate offer comes in, but his signing is seen as somewhat of a risk given the injury struggles that limited him to just eight top-flight appearances last season.

Torino have wanted Gaetano Oristanio for weeks now, they had got close to a deal with Venezia, but then got into a tangle over the formula of the transfer.

This has been going on for a while, a few days ago the negotiations had seemed ready to find a breakthrough after Venezia lowered their initial more than €10m asking price to accept €7m.

Oristanio terms of transfer causing problems

Now they want a paid loan with obligation to buy that would be activated if the Granata finished at a certain spot in the Serie A table this season.

Torino, on the other hand, are insisting on a paid loan with option to buy that gives them a little more flexibility.

This should not be dragging on as long as it is, because Oristanio has chosen Torino and put other options on stand-by, but he cannot hang on forever.

As confirmed, Toro are also tracking Eljif Elmas, who would represent a return to the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino after his recent loan.

Leo Ostigard is reportedly returning to Genoa, on loan with option to buy from Stade Rennes, after leaving Serie A in 2024.

According to Sky Sport Italia transfer pundit Gianluca Di Marzio, a deal has been reached and he will be in Italy on Sunday for his medical tests.

Their first choice had been Jay Idzes, but Venezia were reportedly asking for €10m to sell, which made Genoa turn back towards Ostigard instead.

Genoa look to Ostigard again

The Norway international had already worn the Grifone jersey for six months in 2022 when he was on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.

He made 15 appearances for the club, scoring one goal and receiving two red cards.

Ostigard remained in Serie A after that, as Brighton sold him to Napoli for €5.5m and he helped them win the Serie A title before moving on to Stade Rennes in 2024.

The central defender spent the last six months on loan at TSG Hoffenheim in Germany.

Between Genoa and Napoli, he has made 46 Serie A appearances during his playing career and will now return to Italian football for the 2025-26 campaign.

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia will not remain in Serie B with Venezia, so there is no shortage of interested clubs, including Bologna, Ajax and Villarreal.

The midfielder was one of the few strong performers for the Lagunari, even if he was unable to prevent their relegation from Serie A last term.

The odds of him staying in Serie B following that demotion are slim, so it just depends on where he will end up for the next chapter of his career.

Nicolussi Caviglia set for new adventure

A product of the Juventus youth academy, he had loan spells with Perugia, Parma, Sudtirol and Salernitana before the sale to Venezia for €3.5m plus bonuses and a 10 per cent cut of the future transfer fee.

Bologna remain the most interested club within Serie A, especially if they do end up selling Michel Aebischer to newly-promoted Pisa.

However, there are candidates to take Nicolussi Caviglia outside of Italy too, as after Villarreal asked about information, now Sportitalia’s Gianluigi Longari can confirm Ajax have also approached Venezia.

The creative midfielder just turned 25 in June and contributed four goals with three assists in 35 Serie A games last term.

Torino are ready to secure Gaetano Oristanio from Venezia and Napoli winger Cyril Ngonge, while Vanja Milinkovic-Savic has rejected Leeds United for Napoli.

The Granata are busy on the transfer market in an attempt to revitalise the squad for new coach Marco Baroni.

According to Football Italia’s own Alfredo Pedullà, the deal is close to completion with Venezia to get Oristanio on a paid loan with option to buy that is well under €10m, representing a bargain for the 22-year-old.

As part of his €4m sale to Venezia, his former club Inter are owed a cut of the sell-on fee for the Italy Under-21 international.

Torino very active on the market

That does not rule out the swoop for Ngonge, who again could come in from Napoli on loan with an option to buy that can become an obligation if the right conditions are met.

Belgian transfer pundit Sacha Tavolieri puts those figures at €1m for the loan and an €11m option to make it permanent, plus four-year contract at Torino.

Meanwhile, Sportitalia also reiterate that Milinkovic-Savic turned down the offer from Leeds United, because he had his heart set on joining Scudetto holders Napoli.

This is despite the suggestion Leeds were prepared to pay the release clause of €22m.

Verona are in talks for Venezia defender Fali Candè, while Cagliari have met Inter for Sebastiano Esposito, but Fiorentina remain in the race for the Inter striker.

Serie A clubs are busy strengthening for the 2025-26 campaign, and Verona have identified Venezia’s Candè as a possible reinforcement at the back.

Venezia reject first Verona offer for Candè

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell me that Verona have offered €1.5m, but Venezia’s asking price is around €3m.

Candè is eager to play for Verona as he wants to continue his career in Serie A following Venezia’s relegation last season.

In the meantime, Cagliari have taken a step forward in negotiations for Inter striker Sebastiano Esposito.

Cagliari meeting for Esposito

A meeting between the two clubs took place on Thursday.

The Sardinians are pushing to sign the former Empoli loanee and are willing to meet his demands.

Fiorentina, however, were the first club to move for Esposito this summer, and the Tuscans are waiting for the official appointment of Stefano Pioli to open formal talks with Inter.

The Nerazzurri value their striker between €6m and €7m, and despite interest from foreign clubs, Esposito is expected to continue his career in Serie A.

Torino are in talks with Venezia for Gaetano Oristanio and are currently leading Parma in the race for the Italian striker.

Serie A side Torino are currently leading the race to sign Oristanio from Venezia, sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell me.

Torino lead race to sign Oristanio

Football Italia exclusively reported Torino’s interest in Oristanio last month.

Torino’s negotiations with Venezia have intensified in recent hours.

The Granata and their new coach Marco Baroni want to sign two new attacking wingers this summer and remain in talks with Napoli for Cyril Ngonge as well.

Parma are also interested in Oristanio and the Ducali have also opened talks with Venezia, but Torino are currently leading the race for the 22-year-old.

Oristanio Serie A stats

Oristanio is under contract with Serie B side Venezia until June 2029.

He has five goals and four assists in 62 Serie A appearances with the Lagunari and Cagliari.

Last season, he scored three times in 37 league games with Venezia, which was not enough to avoid relegation to the second division.

Hellas Verona could provide Venezia defender Fali Candé a second chance at Serie A football following his side’s relegation at the end of the 2024-25 season, Football Italia understands. 

Verona offer Candé Venezia escape 

Verona are actively seeking a new centre-back for the start of the 2024-25 season, and their search has led them in the direction of Venezia and Candé. 

The 27-year-old made 17 Serie A appearances in the second half of the 2024-25 season following his €2m move from Ligue 2 side Metz. 

Despite finishing in 19th place with Venezia, confirming their relegation back to Serie B after one season in the top flight, Candé could be set for another crack in Serie A. 

The 29-time Guinea Bissau international is a player that Verona likes a lot. 

On Tuesday, Verona opened talks with Venezia in an attempt to find a swift agreement for the transfer of the central defender, who is also capable of covering at full-back.

Parma have joined Torino in tracking former Inter striker Gaetano Oristanio, who looks ready to leave Venezia this summer.

The player is a product of the Inter youth academy and was sold to Venezia last summer for €4m, but they kept hold of a cut from the future transfer fee.

Oristanio attracting attention within Serie A

We had already reported here on Football Italia that Torino had shown interest in the versatile forward.

Now we can confirm that Parma are also appreciative of his characteristics and will look to the ex-Cagliari player as a potential heir to Ange-Yoan Bonny.

That can be looked into after Bonny has completed his €25m including bonuses move to Inter.

Oristanio turns 23 in September and has seven caps with the Italy Under-21 international team.

He contributed three goals and three assists in 37 Serie A appearances for Venezia, but was unable to prevent their relegation straight back into Serie B.

Both Torino and Fiorentina are considering strengthening their teams with new strikers, with the Granata targeting Cyril Ngonge and Gaetano Oristanio, and the Tuscans following Inter striker Sebastiano Esposito.

Fiorentina have already secured the services of Edin Dzeko but remain in the market for another centre-forward and continue monitoring Inter striker Sebastiano Esposito, who will surely leave San Siro this summer.

Torino and Fiorentina target new strikers

Fiorentina are in no rush to secure a deal and will wait for Stefano Pioli’s official appointment before making any move.

On the other hand, Torino have already scheduled a meeting for Napoli striker Ngonge, who is eager to reunite with his ex-Verona coach Marco Baroni.

Torino and Fiorentina looking for a fresh start

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell me that Venezia’s Gaetano Oristanio is also on the club’s radar, like defenders Jay Idzes, also under contract with Venezia and Empoli’s Ardian Ismajli.

Torino sacked their coach, Paolo Vanoli, after finishing 11th in Serie A in 2024-25, while Fiorentina secured a Conference League placement by finishing 6th, but still parted company with Raffaele Palladino by mutual consent.

Bologna, Villarreal and PSV Eindhoven are all showing interest in midfielder Hans Nicolussi Caviglia following Venezia’s relegation from Serie A.

The Lagunari will be participating in Serie B this season after sliding down just one year into their top flight experience.

That means many of their top talents are expected to move on in the summer, including former Juventus midfielder Nicolussi Caviglia.

Nicolussi Caviglia attracting interest

According to Sky Sport Italia transfer pundit Gianluca Di Marzio, there is strong interest in the player from Bologna, Villarreal and PSV Eindhoven.

Of the three, Bologna seem by far the most active in negotiations and hope to secure a deal, especially as it would mean keeping him in Italy.

The creative midfielder just turned 25 and had been linked with Milan in recent weeks, though that pursuit seems to have lessened lately.

Venezia bought him outright from Juventus for €3.5m plus add-ons following an initial loan move in 2024.

Eusebio Di Francesco has officially been appointed as the new coach of Serie A side Lecce after his ill-fated experience at Venezia.

The 55-year-old tactician has put pen to paper on a one-year contract, with an option to automatically extend by another year if they avoid relegation.

He will be assisted by Fabrizio De Rossi, Nicola Caccia and former Udinese player Giampiero Pinzi.

Football Italia first reported the negotiations on June 10.

Di Francesco is no stranger to Lecce

It is a return to the Stadio Via del Mare for the 55-year-old, who was already their coach briefly in 2011.

That was followed by spells at Sassuolo, Roma, Sampdoria, Cagliari, Hellas Verona, Frosinone and Venezia.

Di Francesco saw his teams relegated for two seasons in a row, as Frosinone and Venezia both slipped back down into Serie B during his tenure.

Lecce had been under the guidance of Marco Giampaolo during the current campaign and managed to avoid relegation in the final round of the season.

Lecce seem to have decided on their new coach for the 2025-26 season, as an agreement has been reportedly reached with Eusebio Di Francesco.

The Salentini scraped a result on the final day of the campaign to stay in Serie A, having been at risk of relegation for weeks.

Nonetheless, Marco Giampaolo and the club had different ideas on how to progress and was dismissed on June 10.

Lecce went for Di Francesco straight away

There were interviews with several candidates for the role, but Di Francesco was immediately the favourite, as confirmed by Football Italia’s Alfredo Pedullà.

He had also been approached by Cremonese, but was already leaning towards the Stadio Via del Mare.

Tuttomercatoweb report this will be a one-year contract with option to extend based on Serie A safety.

It is another opportunity for Di Francesco, whose last two jobs ended in relegation from Serie A for Venezia this season and Frosinone last term.

Before that, he was fired early into his tenure at Verona, Cagliari and Sampdoria.

Eusebio Di Francesco is heading towards the Venezia exit door and has been contacted by Cremonese and Lecce.

Di Francesco is unlikely to remain at Venezia for the 2025-26 campaign.

Sources with knowledge of the matter exclusively inform me that the former Roma boss has been approached by Lecce and the newly promoted side, Cremonese.

Pisa are another newly promoted team looking for a new coach and have held positive talks with 2006 Italy World Cup winner Alberto Gilardino.

Lecce are working behind the scenes with Di Francesco, but talks are ongoing and progressing well.

The Salentini confirmed Marco Giampaolo’s exit on Monday.

The 23-man Italy squad to participate in the European Under-21 Championship has been announced, including Cesare Casadei and Diego Coppola, but Francesco Pio Esposito is out injured.

The tournament runs from June 11 to 28 in Slovakia.

The Azzurrini are in Group A and will open against Romania on June 11, then face hosts Slovakia on June 14 before the final game of this phase with Spain on June 17.

The top two from each group go into the quarter-finals, which are played on June 21 and 22.

Italy begin U21 Euros adventure

Coach Carmine Nunziata had called up Spezia striker Francesco Pio Esposito, but he has been ruled out of the competition due to an injury.

Pisa defender Giovanni Bonfanti and Sassuolo midfielder Cristian Volpato were also cut from the long list.

Torino midfielder Casadei and Verona defender Diego Coppola are currently with the senior squad for the World Cup qualifiers with Norway and Moldova, but will join the U21 side after June 10.

Italy squad for U21 European Championship

Goalkeepers: 1 Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), 22 Jacopo Sassi (Crotone), 12 Gioele Zacchi (Latina);

Defenders: 15 Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona), 6 Daniele Ghilardi (Hellas Verona), 19 Gabriele Guarino (Carrarese), 13 Michael Kayode (Brentford), 5 Lorenzo Pirola (Olympiacos), 3 Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), 16 Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), 2 Mattia Zanotti (Lugano);

Midfielders: 23 Alessandro Bianco (Monza), 8 Cesare Casadei (Torino), 18 Issa Doumbia (Venezia), 14 Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), 21 Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), 7 Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), 20 Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), 4 Matteo Prati (Cagliari);

Forwards: 9 Giuseppe Ambrosino (Frosinone), 11 Tommaso Baldanzi (Roma), 10 Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), 17 Luca Koleosho (Burnley).

Cremonese are the latest team to secure promotion to Serie A after beating Spezia in the Serie B play-off final on Sunday evening, which means that the line-up for the 2025-26 season is now complete. 

Cremonese beat Spezia by an aggregate of 3-2 over the two legs of the play-off final, with all five goals coming in the second leg. 

Cremonese, the away side on Sunday night, went 3-0 up by the 79th minute after a brace from Manuel De Luca and an individual strike from Michele Colloccolo, which was enough to hold on for despite a late, quick-fire Spezia fightback with goals from Francesco Pio Esposito and Luca Vignali in the 83rd and 85th minute. 

La Cremo return to the top flight after a two-year absence, having been relegated at the end of the 2022-23 Serie A campaign. 

They join Sassuolo and Pisa as the newly promoted sides for 2025-26, replacing the relegated Empoli, Venezia and Monza. 

Completed 2025-26 Serie A line-up 

Atalanta, Bologna, Cagliari, Como, Cremonese, Fiorentina, Genoa, Inter, Juventus, Lazio, Lecce, Milan, Napoli, Parma, Pisa, Roma, Sassuolo, Torino, Udinese, Verona.

There was a time when they were a rarity but United States players are starting to be much more common in Italy. Giancarlo Rinaldi casts an eye over how they performed for their respective clubs.

When Alexi Lalas signed for Padova more than 30 years ago, it was something of a novelty. It has taken the best part of three decades for a real American revolution to happen in Serie A. This season there have been no fewer than five United States players in Italy’s top division – and they have enjoyed very differing fortunes up and down the table. With many clubs in American ownership – and more in the pipeline – it is perhaps something we will be getting used to in the years to come.

• Read more – Brilliant Bravehearts: Rating Serie A’s Scottish Stars

Christian Pulisic (Milan) – 8/10 In a season which left Rossoneri fans venting their frustration in no uncertain fashion, the former Chelsea man was surely exempt from their wrath. A scorer in their Supercoppa triumph, he enjoyed what was arguably the best campaign of his career with more than 20 goal involvements in the league. It was all the more remarkable because other big names around him notably failed to shine. If anyone deserves to be part of the latest overhaul at the Milanese giants going forward it is surely him.

Yunus Musah (Milan) – 5.5/10 It was a troublesome second season in red and black for the young midfielder as he flitted in and out of the side with alarming inconsistency. Some of that might have been down to the club’s chopping and changing of coaches but just the same he failed to really kick on after a good first term in Italy. He provided energy and drive but overall there was the impression that neither he nor his club would be too unhappy if he moved on in the summer.

Weston McKennie (Juventus) – 7/10 Considering that he looked surplus to requirements for the Thiago Motta era, his comeback to stalwart status was pretty remarkable. His adaptability and application were admirable and, in a Bianconeri side which underwhelmed again this season, he was a decent performer. Not the most spectacular, perhaps, but he chipped in a few goals – notably in the Champions League – which showed there was maybe more to his game than many had suspected.

Timothy Weah (Juventus) – 6/10 Sometimes, versatility can be a drawback for a player in terms of consistency, and that certainly felt like the case for the son of Serie A legend George Weah. He made most of his appearances at right back but played pretty much everywhere across the front line and midfield as he plugged gaps in a Juve side which struggled for a real identity. Nobody could fault his professionalism in playing wherever he was asked but it was probably counter-productive in terms of his impact across the campaign.

• Read more – Serie A 2024-25 Winners and losers: All clubs rated

Gianluca Busio (Venezia) 6.5/10 It felt like a bit of a setback season for the bustling midfielder who has been a star on the lagoons since he moved from Sporting Kansas City in 2021. Having been at the heart of their promotion push last term, it seemed like coach Eusebio Di Francesco lost a bit of faith in him as his team fought to avoid relegation. Nonetheless, he remained a decent performer for the Arancioneroverdi and there is more than a sneaking suspicion that he could have a future in the top division – even if his team does not.