Lazio agree Benfica deal for Ivanović but Lens await player’s call | OneFootball

Lazio have moved to the front of the queue for Franjo Ivanović, reaching an agreement with Benfica for the Croatian striker, though the final decision now rests with the player.

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Biancocelesti have accelerated sharply for the forward, who had long sat atop Gennaro Gattuso’s wishlist alongside Milan’s Santiago Giménez.

Crucially, and unlike Milan, Benfica have opened to a loan with an option to buy, the formula favoured by Claudio Lotito this summer, that would become an obligation should certain conditions, likely European qualification, be met.

Ivanović had already given his approval days ago, and optimism grew at Formello after a fresh round of contact.

Claudio Lotito owner and president of S.S Lazio celebrates with supporters at the end of the UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg between Lazio and Bayern Munich at the Olympic stadium on February 14, 2024 in Rome. Lazio won 1-0. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Lens the live threat as Lazio await Ivanović’s decision

The deal, however, is not over the line. Ivanović must now choose between Lazio and Lens, the French club having also built the basis of an agreement with Benfica, while interest from Real Betis, who could offer Champions League football, appears to have cooled.

The Biancocelesti believe they have secured the decisive advantage, having won the player’s preference.

The striker joined Benfica only last summer, signing from Union Saint-Gilloise for around €23m on the back of 21 goals in 47 games, but struggled for minutes in Lisbon and is now considered expendable. The Serie A side believe in his profile and his potential to relaunch.

His arrival would carry knock-on effects. Petar Ratkov, the subject of a bid worth more than €15m from Dinamo Moscow, is not deemed ready to shoulder the attack alone, and a loan for Ivanović would allow Lazio, working with a tight budget of around €9m for two signings, to focus their remaining funds on a new centre-back.