Lazio Held a Meeting at Formello With Belgian Defender’s Agents | OneFootball

Lazio are reportedly accelerating their attempts to bring Standard Liege centre-back Ibe Hautekiet to the Italian capital.

Ibe Hautekiet is Now a Primary Target for Lazio

After missing out on Barcelona academy product Sergi Dominguez and young Danish defender Noah Markmann, the latest reports in Italy have identified Hautekiet as the Biancocelesti’s newest target to bolster Gennaro Gattuso’s backline.

On Wednesday afternoon, Lazio president Claudio Lotito was spotted in the stands as his team beat Serie C neighbors Ostiamare by four unanswered goals. But according to Il Corriere dello Sport (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), the patron didn’t solely arrive at Formello to watch the pre-season friendly, but also to attend a meeting with Hautekiet’s agents.

Lazio Officials Met With Hautekiet Agents

As the Roman newspaper explains, Lotito and his sporting director, Angelo Fabiani, are trying to strike an agreement with the 24-year-old’s entourage on personal terms, before opening a dialogue with Standard Liege.

The source insists that an enticing offer will be required to convince the Belgian club, having already collected €13 million through summer sales. Liege have Hautekiet under contract until June 2029, so they can afford to keep him for another year before cashing in on him. Transfermarkt estimates the defender’s value at €4 million, but he would likely command a larger transfer fee.

Why Lazio Need Another Defender

At this stage, Oliver Provstgaard and Danilho Doekhi appear to be Gattuso’s main options at the back following Mario Gila’s departure. Although he was recently reinstated, Alessio Romagnoli is still expected to leave before the end of the summer. As for Patric and Samuel Gigot, they are currently unavailable, which has been the case more often than not over the past 12 months or so.