Dilemma for Gattuso as Icardi Offers Himself to Lazio

Mauro Icardi has reportedly expressed his desire to join Lazio, but the final call lies with head coach Gennaro Gattuso.

Lazio’s New-Look Attack Still Missing a Striker?

The Biancocelesti revamped their striking department in the summer by offloading Boulaye Dia and Petar Ratkov and bringing in Andrea Pinamonti and Albert Gudmundsson. However, the Icelandic international isn’t considered a traditional centre-forward, and the same goes for Tijjani Noslin, which leaves Pinamonti as the only natural No.9 in the squad.

Lazio Have Been Monitoring Mauro Icardi for Months

Over the past few months, Icardi has been heavily linked to Lazio, with his agent confirming talks with the club’s sporting director, Angelo Fabiani. The 33-year-old has been a free agent since seeing out his contract with Galatasaray at the end of the previous campaign, so he was able to bide his time, knowing he could still sign for a new club as a free agent after the transfer window’s closure.

Icardi Offers His Services to Lazio

According to Italian journalist Damiano Er Faina, Icardi has now decided that Lazio is his preferred option, thus offering his services to the capital club. But while Fabiani would be ready to welcome the Argentine with open arms, Gattuso remains reluctant, as he’s worried about destabilising the squad and jeopardising the serenity in the locker room.

Why Gennaro Gattuso Remains Uncertain

Icardi was one of the deadliest strikers in Serie A during th 2010s, but he also has his fair share of controversial episodes, especially when he was associated with his ex-wife and agent, Wanda Nara. The former Inter Milan captain was frozen out of the squad in his final months at Appiano Gentile, before sealing a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019.

Gattuso will thus weigh the pros and cons of adding the Argentine bomber to his ranks before making a final decision.