Lazio identify Matteo Guendouzi replacement amidst Sunderland interest | OneFootball

Lazio are moving toward the sale of midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi as the most concrete way to generate much-needed capital gains, with Bologna’s Giovanni Fabbian identified as the prime target to replace him, according to a report from Il Messaggero, via LazioNews24.

Lazio is under pressure to raise funds and must generate plusvalenze (capital gains) to meet the 70% expanded labor cost threshold ahead of the federal council meeting scheduled for Monday, March 24th. In this urgent financial scenario, the sale of Guendouzi is emerging as the most likely solution.

Sunderland has already expressed interest in the French midfielder, and Lazio expects to net around €30 million from his departure. While coach Maurizio Sarri is not opposing the sale, he is demanding a replacement of equal quality.

According to the report, the name singled out to replace Guendouzi is Giovanni Fabbian, the young Bologna midfielder who Lazio has been tracking for over a year. While Bologna does not consider Fabbian unsellable, the report cautions that the player would not be available at a “discount price.” Lazio intends to reinvest a significant portion of the €30 million Guendouzi fee to ensure a quality addition to the midfield.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN