Lazio Revive Interest in Greek Striker Who Is Seeking More Playing Time | OneFootball

Lazio have reportedly rekindled their interest in Sporting Club centre-forward Fotis Ioannidis, who is currently struggling for relevance in Lisbon.

The Background

The Athens native began his career at the academy of Olympiakos before moving to APO Levadiakos. In 2020, he joined Panathinaikos and went on to cement himself as one of the deadliest strikers in Greece, thus piquing the interest of several clubs around Europe, including Lazio.

Fotis Ioannidis Reduced to Back-up Role at Sporting

While the Biancocelesti never launched a concrete attempt to sign the player, Ioannidis ended up joining Sporting last summer for €22 million. However, the Greek international remains a back-up for the club’s first-choice striker, the Colombian Luis Suarez. Therefore, most of his 23 appearances this season have come off the bench, but he still managed to register six goals and three assists.

Lazio Interested in Signing Ioannidis on Loan with an Option to Buy

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Ioannidis could end his Portuguese adventure prematurely in search of a more prominent role. Lazio could thus pounce on the opportunity and sign the player in January. The Italian capital side is hoping to sign the striker on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, while Sporting could be open to the formula.

A Replacement for Taty Castellanos?

After lifting the transfer ban, the Biancocelesti will be able to operate freely on the market in January. However, the club is still expected to sell one or several key players to register capital gains and avoid another summer transfer ban. Therefore, if Lazio end up selling Taty Castellanos, they could identify Ioannidis as a potential replacement.