Lazio Considers Icardi and Bissouma as Gattuso Prioritizes Mobility
Lazio’s transfer window did not end with deadline day. It just changed shape.
With the summer market closed, the Biancocelesti have turned their attention to the pool of free agents, where two high-profile names sit on the table: Mauro Icardi and Yves Bissouma.
The club have already dipped into that market once, snapping up Portuguese defender Diogo Leite on a free. Even after his arrival, Lazio still have two vacant slots in their official Serie A squad list, created by the omissions of Patric and Luca Pellegrini.
That space has inevitably sparked speculation. According to Corriere dello Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, president Claudio Lotito is fascinated by the idea of bringing Icardi back to Italy. The former Inter striker is currently without a club after leaving Galatasaray, a proven penalty-box finisher suddenly available without a transfer fee.
On paper, it looks like the sort of opportunity Lotito loves. A big name, no transfer fee, and the chance to make a statement.
Gattuso cool on Icardi as Pinamonti takes priority
Gennaro Gattuso, photographed on the touchline at the Stadio Friuli during Lazio’s Serie A clash with Udinese on 7 September 2026, has made his tactical demands clear since the day he walked in. He wants a central striker who runs, presses, stretches defences. A reference point, yes, but one who lives off movement as much as goals.
That is why he pushed for a different profile and got it late in the window with the signing of Andrea Pinamonti.
In that context, Icardi does not sit at the top of his wish list. The report describes the coach as far from convinced, viewing the Argentine as a low-priority option while he concentrates on getting Pinamonti fully match-fit and integrated into his system. For Gattuso, the work now is on the training pitch, not on the free-agent list.
As Lotito weighs the allure of Icardi, Gattuso keeps circling back to the same idea: mobility first, reputation later.
Bissouma enters the frame for injury-hit midfield
The attack is not the only department under review. Injuries in midfield have forced Lazio to look carefully at their options in the centre of the pitch, and another familiar Premier League name has surfaced: Yves Bissouma.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton midfielder is being evaluated as a potential addition to reinforce Gattuso’s engine room. His profile ticks obvious boxes for a side suddenly stretched in that area: legs, physicality, and experience at a high level.
The interest is real, but the timing is deliberate.
Lazio have the luxury of those two open squad spots, yet there is no scramble behind the scenes. The club are in no hurry to rush either deal and intend to take their time before deciding whether to move for Icardi, Bissouma, both, or neither.
The window is shut, the market is quiet, but for Lazio the choices now could shape the spine of Gattuso’s project.
