Four Serie A stars who will be €100m Premier League signings
FT Desk
- 11 Sept 2022 15:32 BST
- 4 min read
Serie A is no longer the best league in the world, as it was during its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s – a time when all of the world’s greatest players flocked to the Italian peninsula for record fees.
However, Italy still develops and produces some magnificent players who go on to become superstars elsewhere.
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Below, we look at four current Serie A stars who are destined to become €100 million signings for either Premier League clubs or another superclub around Europe.
Rafael Leao (Milan)
We will start off with the star of last season’s Serie A; Rafael Leao.
The Portuguese winger was named Serie A Player of the Year after being Milan’s key man in winning their first Scudetto in 11 years.
He scored 11 goals and laid on another 10 as he tore apart defences with his electric pace and dribbling.
Leao shares an uncanny resemblance in style of play with Arsenal and France hero Thierry Henry. He was the subject of a €100m-plus bid from Chelsea last summer.
He is currently in contract talks with Milan but a record club sale seems inevitable at some point.
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Another Serie A star who will command a massive fee is Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Since arriving from Lille in 2020, Osimhen has established himself as arguably the best No.9 in the league right now along with Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic.
He was strongly linked with a transfer to Man Utd in a swap deal for Cristiano Ronaldo in the closing days of the summer market.
In the end that deal didn’t happen, but an Osimhen transfer to Old Trafford could be resurrected potential next year.
Osimhen himself wants to move to the Premier League, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has made it clear he won't sell for anything less than €100m.
A move in 2023 looks increasingly possible.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
Osimhen is not the only future superstar at Napoli following the incredible explosion of Kvaratskhelia in the opening rounds of the new Serie A season.
Kvaratskhelia was named Serie A Player of the Month and has already scored four goals and assisted two in all competitions.
He tore Liverpool apart in the 4-1 Champions League victory this week and it is clear for anyone to see that this is a truly special player in the making.
Fast, skilful, two-footed, fearless, a powerful shot, ‘Kvaradona’ seems to have it all.
Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
Dusan Vlahovic famously rejected a transfer to Arsenal in January, instead moving to Juventus in a €80m deal.
He has enjoyed a fine start in Turin, despite playing in a team that has struggled badly under Max Allegri.
Vlahovic is unlikely to leave Juventus ant time soon as he has been made as the centrepiece of their rebuild job.
However, as is the case with all Serie A players now, eventually Juventus will likely be forced to sacrifice the Serbian. And there will be no shortage of suitors for a 22-year-old who will almost certainly become one of the best number nines in the world.
Read more about: Serie A, Premier League
