The Serie A summer transfer window will open in less than 90 days and a number of familiar faces will close their chapters in the Italian peninsula.
Things were relatively quiet for Italian clubs in the January transfer window as the majority wait for the summer to make their sweeping changes. After a few years in the shadow of the COVID pandemic, teams are starting to invest a little more once again and the summer market in Italy will be hot as work is done to try and close the gap with imminent Scudetto victors Napoli.
Whilst the summer transfer window isn’t exactly a zero-sum game, space must be made for new signings and some players are happy to leave as they look for a new adventure abroad. Departures also allow clubs to reinvest, either due to their lightened wage bill or incoming transfer fees.
With less than three months until the summer transfer window opens, which players will wave goodbye to the shores of Serie A?
1 – Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Recent media reports suggest that Ibrahimovic’s second spell at Milan is now drawing to a close, with his recent injury troubles putting a sombre tone on things after the team’s Scudetto success last year. The Swedish veteran underwent a knee operation straight after that victory and only returned to action in February, before a muscle injury again forced him on the sidelines.
At 41, Ibrahimovic has been an important figure in Stefano Pioli’s dressing room and now may be ready to hang up his boots in order to move to a different role within football, either as an agent, coach, or director.
2 – Adrien Rabiot
It seems fair to stay that Rabiot is no stranger to being in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. An oft-divisive figure, the Frenchman left Paris Saint-Germain in acrimonious fashion and has seen his mother-agent Veronique shake the boat on a number of occasions, like when she clashed with Kylian Mbappe’s family after Les Bleus’ loss to Switzerland at Euro 2020.
Rabiot seemed close to leaving Juventus last summer, with Manchester United ready to welcome the 28-year-old, but a deal failed to materialise. Almost in response, the Frenchman has put together his best work in Turin this season, but it likely won’t be enough to convince Juventus to pay the high salary he wants, making a free transfer probable at the start of July.
3 – Milan Skriniar
After over seven years, Skriniar’s time in Italy is finally drawing to a close. The Slovakian centre back was one of Paris Saint-Germain’s top targets last summer, but they failed to pry him out of Inter’s grip, with the club confident that they could agree a new contract with the defender.
Unfortunately for the Nerazzurri, this isn’t how things turned out. Contract renewal talks saw little progress until Skriniar finally confirmed his intentions back in January, when he stated that he would be leaving on a free transfer in the summer.
Whilst it may be a bitter end for Inter, Skriniar has been one of the finest centre backs in the Serie A landscape over the last few years, and his departure is another reminder of the ever-changing nature of football clubs.