Five players Conte can realistically sign in January
Carlo Garganese
- 2 Nov 2021 12:22 GMT
- 4 min read
New Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is set to be handed a £150 million transfer war chest for the January market but who could he sign?
Below, we look at five players that the Italian could make a move for.
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Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina)
Dusan Vlahovic has exploded in 2021 as arguably the best young striker in Europe after Erling Haaland.
Indeed, only Haaland and Robert Lewandowski have scored more league goals than the giant Serbian this calendar year.
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Vlahovic will leave Fiorentina in 2022 after refusing to extend his contract that expires in 2023.
The 21-year-old was already a Spurs target in the summer and it seems certain they will put in a new bid in January. Fiorentina will accept €60-70m for him.
Franck Kessie (Milan)
Franck Kessie has established himself as one of the best central midfielders in Serie A over the past two seasons.
He has played a pivotal role in AC Milan’s rebirth, with Stefano Pioli’s men currently top of Serie A and unbeaten this season.
However, Kessie’s contract expires at the end of the season and Milan are close to giving up on getting him to extend.
As a result, Milan may be prepared to let him leave in January for a small fee. Conte is a big admirer of the Ivory Coast international and tried to sign him in the past.
Alessio Romagnoli (Milan)
Another Milan player who is a very realistic signing in January is central defender Romagnoli.
The Italian lost his place in the starting XI this year following the arrival of Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea but he remains one of Italy’s top centre backs.
However, he will definitely leave Milan in 2022 as he will not renew his contract that expires at the end of the season.
The left-footed Romagnoli is comfortable in a back three and would be able to play in the middle or the left of Conte’s back three.
Manuel Lazzari (Lazio)
One of the key aspects of Conte’s 3-5-2 formation is, of course, his wing-backs.
They must be able to get up and down the pitch non-stop for 90 minutes, with pace, stamina and workrate.
There are few faster and more devastating wing-backs in Italian football than Manuel Lazzari, who is absolutely perfect for Conte’s 3-5-2.
And the Lazio right wing-back will be potentially available, too, as he doesn’t fit into Maurizio Sarri’s four-man defence at the Olimpico.
Marcelo Brozovic (Inter)
This transfer is more of a long-shot because Marcelo Brozovic is a key player for Inter and it would be devastating for them to lose him mid-season.
However, the fact remains that Brozovic’s current contract expires at the end of the season. And while he is expected to sign a new deal, could he be enticed if Conte comes calling?
The pair worked together brilliantly for two years at Inter and Brozovic may feel that now is the time for a new challenge after six years at San Siro.
Whether Inter will let him leave in January is another question altogether, but given their financial problems perhaps they will if it means avoiding losing him for nothing in the summer.
