Lazio ‘to target’ €15m Brighton defender Coppola | OneFootball

Lazio are tracking Brighton centre-back Diego Coppola as incoming coach Gennaro Gattuso looks to reinforce a defence set for change this summer.

Alessio Romagnoli is poised to move to Qatar and Mario Gila’s future is unclear, creating a need at the back. Corriere dello Sport reports Coppola would cost around €13-15 million, and that Brighton prefer another loan to a permanent sale.

The Italy under-21 international spent the second half of last season on loan at Paris FC in Ligue 1, making 13 appearances and impressing.

Gattuso is an admirer, having named Coppola in the Italy squad for World Cup play-off matches against Northern Ireland and Bosnia during his time as national team coach.

Brighton want to assess his situation before deciding the next step. Coach Fabian Hurzeler said: “He played a lot and well with Paris FC, that was exactly what we wanted.”

“Now we need to understand together what the next step is, what is best for his journey and his improvement. We will speak with Coppola and then we will see.” Lazio are prepared to wait for that discussion before advancing their interest.

Source: Football Italia