Lazio defender Nicolo Casale is reportedly set to seal a late summer transfer to Bologna who have an agreement in hand with the Italian capital side.
The 26-year-old is a Hellas Verona youth product who earned a move to Formello in the summer of 2022 following his big breakthrough at the Bentegodi. The Italian’s time at Formello has been filled with ups and downs, while his most recent displays have been far from convincing, especially his last outing against Udinese.
Therefore, Lazio have been seeking an upgrade at the back, with Samuel Gigot emerging as the main candidate to join Marco Baroni’s squad. But in order to make room for the Olympique Marseille centre-back, the Biancocelesti will have to offload Casale first.
Lazio Agree to Send Casale to Bologna
Luckily for Lazio, Bologna decided to jump on the opportunity. According to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedullà, the Emilians have reached a full accord with the Italian capital over Casale’s transfer. This will be an initial loan move with an option to buy which would become an obligation under certain conditions.
Pedullà believes the loan fees will be worth circa €1 to €1.5 million, while the player’s purchase would cost Bologna another €6.5 to €7 million. Moreover, the Rossoblu’s qualification to any European competition next season will trigger the obligation-to-buy clause.
But as the source notes, Lazio want to ensure that they already have a ready-made replacement on the way to Rome before offloading Casale, otherwise, they risk leaving Baroni with a depleted defensive department.
Stupid move if this happen