Hot, very hot hours, all over Italy. Not only from a climatic point of view, given that in much of the Peninsula the temperatures are touching or exceeding 40 degrees, but also in the football market, which as usual is waiting to take a few hours off, but not too many, because Serie A is at the starting blocks and there are still many question marks. The names have been the same for days, and if on the one hand the Koopmeiners knot is almost untied, given that he will not be in Warsaw with Atalanta for the Super Cup against Real Madrid and is only waiting for Juventus’ final move, in Florence and Genoa, but also in Turin and Milan, the great intrigue of Ferragosto sees as protagonists Albert Gudmundsson and Nico Gonzalez. But let’s try to proceed in order and understand the positions of the three, or rather four, clubs interested. Yes, four, because there is also Inter who is waiting for the Icelander, but we will talk about this shortly.
Genoa’s position.
Let’s start with the club that owns Gudmundsson’s contract. Atalanta has mixed things up and perhaps complicated everyone’s plans by quickly snapping up Mateo Retegui. Genoa was thinking of selling their number 11, not their centre-forward, and the deal with Fiorentina was on the verge of being closed, but with the departure of the Italian national team striker, things have changed. The Grifone management has been clear: first the replacement, then Gudmundsson’s departure, and the Viola are forced to wait, also considering a sale that in some respects would be sensational.
Fiorentina’s position.
As mentioned, the Viola are forced to wait before taking the Icelander. It is impossible to think of doing what Atalanta did, that is, taking the player outright by paying him immediately and for this reason Pradè and Goretti have their hands tied, waiting for Genoa to buy the heir of Gudmundsson himself. A wait that unnerves the entire club, but that is not the only thought of the management, given that they also have to deal with the future of Nico Gonzalez. The Argentine now seems to have made up his mind: goodbye to Florence and a move to Juventus. Why would it be sensational? Because in five years Rocco Commisso would give up the third big name to the eternal rivals of Florence. After Chiesa and Vlahovic it would be Nico Gonzalez’s turn and the fans could only be even more disappointed by this management of the club. Fiorentina’s position is clear: 30 million will not be enough for Juve to take the last Viola number 10 and what filters directly from inside Viola Park is the desire of the lilies to keep the player: simple role-playing game? Probably yes, but the message sent to the Old Lady is clear.
Juventus’ position.
In all this, Juve is waiting on the sidelines, also waiting for a clear signal from the player. Nico Gonzalez, as mentioned, is determined to embrace the Juventus cause and now it is only a matter of understanding whether the player will expose himself personally or not. Koopmeiners and the Argentine can both arrive, they do not play in the same role, and the feeling is that Juventus wants to close the two operations in a relatively short time.
There’s also Inter.
What does Inter have to do with all this? The Nerazzurri have never hidden their appreciation, and not a little, for Albert Gudmundsson, but for the moment there are no concrete steps from the Nerazzurri in this direction. The issue would be postponed to the last days of the market, because first there are both Arnautovic and Correa to be placed. If offers were to arrive for the two, the matter would be unblocked, but we are still far away.
The other question concerns Napoli.
In all of this, under all the umbrellas on the Italian beaches there are also two other names: those of Romelu Lukaku and Victor Osimhen. Napoli has taken the first real step forward to take the Belgian. Antonio Conte’s words after the thrilling passage of the round in the Italian Cup were clear: reinforcements are needed. Immediately. The Azzurri thought they could set up their entire market with the sale of the Nigerian, which however never arrived and is not even that close. So it is necessary to hurry the times. And perhaps Ferragosto will be able to give the coach his favourite for the attack.
In short, the plot is done, the names are those, and the menu is served. All that remains is to wait: the positions, of all the clubs, are clear. We will see who will come out happier after the resolution of this great intrigue.