Domenico Berardi finds himself in a tricky situation following Sassuolo’s relegation from Serie A at the end of the 2023-24 season, as no clubs have yet come forward with a formal proposal for the 29-year-old Italy international.
Berardi’s season came to a premature end at the beginning of March after suffering a season-ending injury to his achilles tendon during a 1-0 loss to Hellas Verona. He had also missed a series of matches with a meniscus issue in the weeks prior.
He immediately underwent surgery to recover from the issue, although surgeons predicted at the time that he would be ruled out of action until September or October.
The timing of the injury is unfortunate for Berardi, as he is not considered a priority target in the transfer window for any clubs in Italy.
Three possible Serie A options for Berardi
He is still under contract with Sassuolo for just shy of three more years, until the summer of 2027, although it is still assumed that the Neroverdi will listen to offers for their star player following their demotion to Serie B.
According to updates from Calciomercato.com, the longer the summer goes on, the cheaper Berardi’s price tag is expected to become.
And, with his injury likely to keep him out for the first chunk of the 2024-25 season, it is expected that if Berardi does move, it will be towards the end of the window anyway.
Juventus, Roma and Napoli have been mentioned as three clubs who could still be interested in making a potential offer further down the line, but it all depends on what happens before then.
Juventus, for example, are prioritising a move for Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, and are also exploring a possible loan move for Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho, but they could still be interested in Berardi if either of those deals fall through, or if they move any more of their own players on before the end of the summer.
Roma, meanwhile are first looking at possible deals for Juventus attackers Federico Chiesa and Matias Soule, but could be interested in Berardi if those deals fall flat.
Then there is Napoli, who could have a slot open on their right-wing to counter Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the left. Mason Greenwood is a name that has been mentioned for that role, but Calciomercato also tip Berardi as a possible option there. A lot, however, still depends on the possible movements of Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku.
#Berardi occasione estiva: le posizioni di #Juventus, #Napoli e #ASRoma in cerca di un esterno https://t.co/Vs4csWwUvO pic.twitter.com/Zat0cOthxg
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) July 14, 2024
Viola shoulda signed him instead of that Kean guy.