Lazio Weighs 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 club 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 Biancocelesti have already dipped into that market once, snapping up Portuguese defender Diogo Leite on a free. Even after his arrival, two places remain open on the official Serie A squad list, created by the omissions of Patric and Luca Pellegrini.

Those empty slots invite temptation.

According to Corriere dello Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, president Claudio Lotito is still fascinated by the idea of bringing in Icardi. The former Inter striker is without a club after leaving Galatasaray, and his goalscoring pedigree continues to cast a long shadow over any team looking for a penalty-box finisher.

But the bench tells a different story.

Gattuso cool on Icardi as he backs Pinamonti

From the touchline at Stadio Friuli, where Gennaro Gattuso led Lazio against Udinese on September 7, the coach’s vision of his attack has been clear: intensity, movement, pressing from the front.

That is why he pushed for a more mobile No. 9 in the final days of the window, a demand that led to the late signing of Andrea Pinamonti. For Gattuso, the priority now is getting Pinamonti fully fit and integrated, not reshaping the attack around a different profile.

Icardi, in that context, slides down the list. The Argentine is viewed as an option, but a low-priority one. Lotito might like the idea. Gattuso, by contrast, appears far more interested in sharpening what he already has than in bending his system to accommodate a classic penalty-area striker.

Bissouma enters the frame for injury-hit midfield

While the Icardi debate simmers, another name has quietly moved into focus: Yves Bissouma.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton midfielder is being evaluated as a possible reinforcement in the centre of the pitch, where recent injuries have thinned Gattuso’s options. Bissouma’s energy and ball-winning ability would address an immediate need, offering depth and a different physical dimension in midfield.

Yet Lazio are not acting like a club in panic mode.

The spaces in the squad list are there, the free agents are available, and the president has his preferences. But the club are in no rush to pull the trigger. The plan, for now, is to take their time, study both opportunities and decide whether either Icardi’s goals or Bissouma’s industry truly fit the project Gattuso is trying to build in Rome.

Two open slots. Two big names. One clear question: will Lazio chase reputation, or stick rigidly to their manager’s blueprint?