Lazio nears deal for Andrea Pinamonti from Sassuolo for €14M

Lazio and Sassuolo are in advanced talks over a deal that would send Italian striker Andrea Pinamonti to Rome on a loan with an option to buy, with the total package approaching €14 million. Personal terms are already settled. The only thing left is the part where two clubs agree on how to split that number between the upfront loan fee and the eventual purchase clause.

The negotiations have reportedly reached their final stretch, with Lazio hoping to wrap things up within 48 hours. Pinamonti has agreed to a five-year contract that would pay him north of €2 million annually.

The money puzzle

Lazio’s transfer strategy this window has been shaped by net-zero spending constraints. A straight purchase was never really on the table. Instead, Lazio proposed a loan with a buy option, spreading the financial commitment across multiple windows.

Sassuolo has shown willingness to accept that structure but has been firm on wanting a meaningful loan fee upfront. Early discussions reportedly started with Lazio offering around €1 million as a loan fee. The loan fee has since climbed into the range of €2.5 million to €4 million, with a buy clause set between €8 million and €10 million. For context, Sassuolo paid €20 million to sign Pinamonti permanently from Inter Milan back in 2023. With just one year left on his contract through June 2027, their leverage is eroding by the day.

Pinamonti’s current market value sits around €15 million, which means Lazio would be getting a slight discount if the buy option is exercised at the lower end of that €8 million to €10 million range.

Why Pinamonti makes sense for Gattuso’s Lazio

Manager Gennaro Gattuso has been vocal about needing attacking reinforcements this summer. Born on May 19, 1999, Pinamonti is 27 and entering what should be the prime years of his career.

After coming through Inter Milan’s academy, he bounced around on various loan spells before Sassuolo made his move permanent. A loan stint at Genoa during the 2024-25 season added another chapter to a career that has earned him one cap for the Italian national team. Lazio reportedly missed out on several other forward targets earlier in the window, making Pinamonti something of a late-window pivot.

What this means for both clubs

For Sassuolo, they paid €20 million for this player. Accepting a deal in the €14 million range means booking a loss. But with Pinamonti’s contract expiring in June 2027, letting him walk for free next summer would be considerably worse.

The loan fee negotiation is where the remaining tension lives. Sassuolo wants the upfront payment to be substantial enough that they’re not just renting out their player for pocket change while Lazio decides whether to commit. A loan fee in the €3 million to €4 million range would represent a meaningful down payment. Lazio, naturally, wants to keep that upfront number as low as possible, as every euro paid in the loan fee counts against this window’s spending under their net-zero constraints.

The 48-hour timeline suggests both sides see a path to agreement. Whether the final loan fee lands at €2.5 million or €4 million will determine who blinks first.

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