Serie A has always been home to the star names in football. From Diego Maradona at Napoli and Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Riijkard at Milan to Zinedine Zidane and Pavel Nedved at Juventus and Gabriel Batistuta at Fiorentina, for decades, Italy has attracted the top talents. More recently, Cristiano Ronaldo has added his name to the stunning list and lit up the Italian game during three years in Turin.
Itโs set to be a typically busy summer with plenty of new arrivals and football lovers keen to place wagers on the next big move will have to trackย bet newsย in order to stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions when it comes to predicting which speculated switches will become reality. Itโs imperative for bettors to assess and compare odds while staying updated with the latest transfer gossip when predicting deals.
With that in mind, this article will profile some of the managers and defenders who have been linked with a switch to Serie A ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Antonio Conte
The Italian is no stranger to the top-flight in his homeland having played there for 19 years before coaching a host of clubs including Atalanta, Juventus and Inter. The 54-year-old is a winner also, landing three titles with the Bianconeri, another with the Nerazzurri and the Premier League trophy during his time with Chelsea in England.
Now, having enjoyed some time off after leaving Tottenham in March 2023, Conte has been tipped to return to the touchline next season with Napoli. The Naples club, who won Serie A last season, have stuttered this time around and are looking to bounce back with an esteemed manager with experience in winning silverware.
Napoli are set for a key meeting with Conte as they look to appoint a new manager, with Francesco Calzona currently caretaker boss following the sacking of Walter Mazzarri.
Julen Lopetegui
Milan are said to be โall inโ on appointing Lopetegui as their new manager ahead of the new season despite some fans online airing their disapproval.
The former Real Madrid and Sevilla manager, who departed Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2023, is said to also be interesting West Ham but has put the Hammers on hold as talks with the Rossoneri are planned with current boss Stefano Piolo set for the San Siro exit.
Milan have trailed rivals Inter who clinched the Serie A title this month and will be looking to mount a serious challenge again in 2024/25. Having won a first championship in eleven years in 2022, the club will be determined not to wait that long again and are plotting how to wrestle the title from the Nerazzurri who they share a city and home with.
Diego Carlos
The Brazilian defender is highly-rated across Europe and has played his part in helping Aston Villa into the Premier Leagueโs top four as they compete for a place in the Champions League. Diego Carlos missed the vast majority of his maiden campaign in England following his ยฃ26million switch to Villa Park after rupturing his achilles just weeks into the 2023/24 season.
However, now back and fit, he has caught the eye of Milan who are planning to bolster their backline having shipped 39 goals in 34 matches โ thatโs more than seven other clubs and is an issue when fighting for silverware.
Milan are said to be impressed by the centre-backโs prowess in the air as well as his marking and physical capabilities and his arrival would certainly add steel to the squadโs defence.
Joel Matip
Matip is reportedly set to follow manager Jurgen Klopp out of Liverpool this summer and has attracted interest from rivals Roma and Lazio who are each looking to add some experience to their backlines.
The German-born former Cameroon international turns 33 in August and, despite missing six months in 2021 and much of this season through injury, has made more than 460 appearances across his career since starting out with Schalke in his homeland.
Matip has played an important role in the Reds success at home and abroad under Klopp with his excellent reading of the game and awareness relied upon as heโs slotted into centre-back with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate.
Wendell
Juventus are said to be eyeing a move for Portoโs Brazilian left-backย Wendellย ahead of next season. The 30-year-old, who earned his first Brazil cap in March 2024, plays for Porto having joined the club in 2021 after an impressive seven seasons with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
Juve are going through a transition and assessing their options for several positions in the starting XI and Bianconeri scouts are said to have attended his international bow at Wembley. According to reports, Wendell is a more financially viable option to Atletico Madridโs Reinildo and Maximilian Mittelstadt of Stuttgart who are other names linked with Juve.
Summing Up
As the season comes to an end, talk of summer moves and potential transfers ramps up with Serie A one of the most talked about destinations. For the next few months, football news, video channels and social media will be full of reports and discourse on which player is moving where and which manager could be set to take charge of a new club.
Itโs set to be an exciting end to the current campaign and enthralling build-up to the new season as clubs including Juventus, Inter, Milan, Roma and Fiorentina look to do deals to boost their teams as they battle for Serie A supremacy.
