A long market summit in Casteldebole, which lasted several hours: after the presentation on Thursday 13 June, Vincenzo Italiano met in the offices of the Niccolò Galli technical center with the president Joey Saputothe CEO Claudio Fenucci and the representatives of the technical area, director Giovanni Sartori and director Marco Di Vaio. A lunch together at the restaurant in the centre, then a river meeting for market strategies before the coach takes a few days’ holiday in his native Sicily, even with his mobile phone plugged in for the latest news on the transfer campaign
The Bologna market: Calafiori and Zirkzee the “hot” names
Bologna’s summer revolves around the confirmation of the big names of the team that won the Champions League: above all two protagonists of the upcoming European Championship, Riccardo Calafiori with Italy e Joshua Zirkzee with Holland. They are the two most discussed players and CEO Fenucci had important words on Calafiori – who has been courted for some time by Thiago Motta’s Juventus: «The club’s will is to confirm a large part of this season’s squad. As for Calafiori, we have already communicated to his agent (Alessandro Lucci, ed) that we have no intention of moving the player.”
The rossoblù don’t want to give up the defender: above all… to Juve
And the management’s ruling is different: least of all Juventus. Because that end of Thiago Motta’s rossoblù story and his farewell to Turin left a wound that the club intends to “avenge” by blocking the Bianconeri’s way towards the jewels of Casteldebole. And on Calafiori the ball is in Bologna’s court: the player he has a contract until 2027 about 800,000 euros net per seasonthe rossoblù do not intend to sell him (approximately 40% of the capital gain would go to Basel) and are ready to adjust his salary to bring him closer to over 2 million offered by Juventus.
The double path to avoid losing Zirkzee for 40 million
The Zirkzee situation is different, because the Dutch striker is the master of his own destiny: a clause included in his contract fixed at 40 million (45% of the capital gain will then go to Bayern Munich: Bologna will have 22-23 million net left) the amount to free himself and go elsewhere. Milan, Juventus, Manchester United and Arsenal want him: whoever leads to the player’s agent Kia Joorabchian wins the requested commission, 15 million.
In recent days, Bologna has thought of a plan to keep him, with two options. One: give Kia the maxi-commission and have Zirkzee sign a new contract — the club is determined to reach around 3 million in salary, the one it gave to Arnautovic — without the 40 million clause, it is practically impossible for the agent to accept. Two, more practicable: significant increase in the player’s salary, a part of the commission requested from the agent and Zirkzee in Bologna for another year, but at that point with the same 40 million clause valid next summer and the contract with one year to go before the deadline set for June 2026.
The first moves: the Primavera strengthened with Nordvall
If the plans, very complex to tell the truth, were to fall through and Zirkzee said goodbye to Bologna, Sartori and Di Vaio (who closed the Swede’s job Ossian Nordvallpromising midfielder born in 2007 for Brommapojkarna, for the Primavera) would then go to squeeze for another center forward: particular signs, bomber jacket.
The first targets are the full-backs: the interest in Gosens
However, Bologna is also on the hunt for full-backs: in Italiano’s game, the push of the sliders is a fundamental element certified by the characteristics of the defensive wingers he had at Fiorentina, from Biraghi to Dodò via Parisi. Compared to last season, the rossoblù have lost on the left Viktor Kristiansen: the 15 million agreed for the redemption with Leicester (which in the meantime has been promoted to the Premier League) is too much, the Dane wants to extend his rossoblù experience but so far there have been no openings from the British club for a discount that would bring the figure around 10 million.
This is why Bologna has intensified the pressure on a player who the rossoblù director Sartori knows very well Robin Gosens: the first offer for the 29-year-old German, currently at Union Berlin, was a loan with right of redemption for 7 million and it was rejected. However, the parties continue to work and if the right will transform into an obligation (slightly increasing the final figure to 8-9 million, via bonus) it will be possible to get to the white smoke, anticipating 2-3 other Italian clubs that want Gosens.
They like Mitaj, who will play with Albania against Italy and De Cuyper
The rossoblù technical area also has some left-handed alternatives in play: among these are the Albanian born in 2003 Mario Mitaj of Lokomotiv Moscow, who will face Spalletti’s Italy in Dortmund with his national team, and a winger that Italiano knows well having faced him as an opponent like Maxim De Cuyper of Brugge, scoring in the Conference League semi-final against Fiorentina. Complex objective, given that he will play the European Championships with Belgium.
Lykogiannis has already been confirmed and Zortea is being evaluated
However, the confirmation of Lykogiannis: Bologna has activated a one-year contract extension, until June 2025. On the right, everything revolves around Stefan Poschwho will make his debut with Austria at the European Championship on Monday against Mbappé’s France: he has a contract until 2026, he cost 5 million and, if important offers arrive, he is not untransferable.
In the event of the Austrian’s departure, a starter will be sought: vice versa, Bologna is looking for a reinforcement in the role of deputy and is evaluating the profile of Nadir Zortea, born in 1999, returning to Atalanta (who would not like to sell him permanently) after the loan to Frosinone, also sought by Monza and Nice. Baby Corazza will go to play, while Lorenzo De Silvestri should remain as the hen.
In attack the attention is growing Philip Marchwinskthe,
The club is also moving to beef up the offensive sector: a very hot name is that of Polish Filip Marchwinski, born in 2002, offensive wildcard (can play attacking midfielder or winger) of Lech Poznan returning from a season of 11 goals and 6 assists in 35 appearances between championship and cups. His contract expires in a year, the Polish club has announced his departure in the summer and Sartori has been working there for some time
