Lazio Evaluates Icardi and Bissouma as Gattuso Maintains Squad Vision

Lazio’s transfer window did not end with deadline day. With the market closed but the free-agent pool still open, the club are quietly testing the waters, and two high-profile names sit on the table: Mauro Icardi and Yves Bissouma.

The Biancocelesti have already dipped into that market once, snapping up Portuguese defender Diogo Leite on a free. Even after that deal, two spots remain vacant on their official Serie A squad list, created by the exclusions of Patric and Luca Pellegrini.

That flexibility has inevitably drawn big names into the conversation. According to Corriere dello Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, president Claudio Lotito is intrigued by the idea of bringing in Icardi. The former Inter striker is still without a club after his departure from Galatasaray, and the chance to add a proven Serie A goalscorer at no transfer fee is the kind of opportunity that appeals to a president who loves a bold move.

The enthusiasm is not universal.

From the touchline, Gennaro Gattuso sees things differently. The Lazio coach has been clear about the profile he wants leading his attack: a mobile, hard-running centre-forward who can stretch defences and press from the front. That demand already shaped the summer, culminating in the late arrival of Andrea Pinamonti to fit that brief.

For Gattuso, the priority now is simple: get Pinamonti fully match-fit and embedded in the system. Icardi, with his penalty-box instincts and more static style, sits well down his list of needs. The Argentine is viewed as an option, but a low one, not a cornerstone.

The midfield, though, is another story. Recent injuries in the centre of the park have forced Lazio to look again at their balance and depth, and that is where Yves Bissouma has entered the frame. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton midfielder is being assessed as a potential reinforcement, a way to add energy and bite to a department that has taken some knocks.

Despite the open spaces in the squad list and the calibre of the names being discussed, Lazio are not rushing. There is no scramble, no emergency signing for the sake of it. The club intend to take their time, weigh the physical condition, tactical fit and dressing-room impact of both Icardi and Bissouma, and then decide whether either move truly serves Gattuso’s project.

Two empty slots, two big reputations, one clear idea from the coach. The next decision will say plenty about whose vision shapes Lazio’s season.