TURIN – Wings: You need Wings to fly. And on paper, at the registry office, he has the right first name Ali Dembele: 20 years old, right back, identified in Troyes from the head of the granata nursery Ludergnani and by his collaborators during the 2021-’22 season (the boy played in the French national under-19 championship), signed by Torino in the summer of two years ago, then matured excellently with the coach Scurto in the Primavera (32 games of 90 minutes out of a possible 34 in the regular season, a total of 36 appearances this season, all as starters and 8 assists), called up at the time 4 times by Juric between Serie A and Coppa Italia: because there were several weeks of work as a member of the first team. A remarkable growth for this big French boy, but of Malian origin, with wide levers and a happy stride on the wing. Worthy of trying your hand at last summer B series, to grow. In fact he was very happy Venice to be able to take him, albeit only on loan without rights since the Granata club did not want to risk losing control of him: hence the granting of free rent (it was at the end of August) to satisfy the lagoon players at least in this respect. And with Vanoli the young Ali began to take off in the first team too: It made its debut already at the beginning of October, and then proved to be an excellent follow-up throughout the season. In all, 16 appearances between championship and playoffs with one goal, always coming off the bench, however obtaining good reviews. Well, he himself, Dembelé, should be the real protagonist of the new negotiations between Turin and Venice today, with Vanoli’s release clause at stake. And with Vagnati and Antonelli on the pitch: the match will start again between the granata director and the orange-green director, with subsequent presidential involvement (Cairo-Niederauer).
Taurus, attacking moves
Vagnati, the moves for Vanoli
Vagnati needs to free Vanoli from the existing contract with Venezia as soon as possible (until 2026) also to start the transfer negotiations with an extra gear. And Vanoli is now excited too, naturally: he has great motivation, he can’t wait to be able to wear the grenade uniform in his interested calls with potentially Toro players. Cairo and his director already have a copy of the signed agreement in their pockets, in the wake of the productive meetings that have taken place in recent weeks with the manager’s agent, who in the meantime was playing for promotion to Serie A in the playoffs with the lagoon players: a two-year contract with an option for an automatic renewal of a further 12 months until 2027, salary of one million net (300 thousand euros more than the salary in Venice) plus bonuses in case of qualification for a European Cup or victory of the Italian Cup. The other day the director of the Venetians, Antonelli, admitted: «Vanoli told us that he wanted to go to Turin, he no longer has enough incentive to stay. But we had understood it for a few weeks now, it didn’t surprise us”. And its president, Niederauer, we say hissing in the ears of Cairo: “Whoever wants Vanoli must pay the million clause, period”.
Venezia wants Dembele
However, at Venezia, newly promoted to Serie A and still looking for a coach, it would be convenient to keep Dembelé as a reserve even in the top flight. Focus on this Vagnati, stimulated by Cairo to lower the cost of the release clause as much as possible: give a new value to the full-back and renew his loan in the lagoon (he wouldn’t have room in Turin). Venezia would be willing to halve that clause (from one million to 500 thousand euros) in exchange for the permanent transfer of Dembele. The Granata club, however, would not like to lose control of the young full-back this year too, given his potential, and will insist again on loaning him out, albeit onerously this time. In this case, it will be a question of assigning a value to the right of redemption that is also acceptable to Venezia. And, obviously, the identification of a pro Toro counter-law is not excluded.
Vanoli, Dembele and Torino: the negotiation
Today Vagnati will present a new offer at Venezia (700 thousand euros plus the loan of Dembele). The lagoon supporters, however, believe that the rent of the full-back should cost a maximum of 100 thousand euros (as if to say: for Vanoli, give us 900 thousand euros plus the loan with the right to Dembele). In addition to the negotiations on the economic evaluations to be given to the Frenchman (expenditure for the rent and value of the right of redemption or of the price tag, in the case of immediate sale), an issue is added: it does not help the fact that Venezia was not able to enjoy no enhancement bonus from Torino, now that the season has ended (the reasons? The tension of last August was necessarily dissolved with an agreement favorable, in this respect, to the Granata club). In the event of a new loan, consequently, Venezia will still try to take home a compensatory valorization bonus, in addition to a right of redemption. Vagnati’s hope is to find an agreement today. Tomorrow, at the latest. The negotiations for Vanoli are independent from those of Venezia to get their hands on a new coach. But the very fact that the lagoon players have not yet found Vanoli’s replacement inhibits from the start the possibility that Torino’s negotiations to free the post-Juric coach will also extend to other players, both incoming and outgoing. So we’re back to the starting point: money + Dembelé (and at most a further loan to the Venetians of one Turin Spring). In short, today’s negotiations will begin again from here.
