Gattuso's Lazio Turns to Vatreni Defender as Domínguez Move Falls Through
Lazio has abandoned its pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb's Sergio Domínguez due to excessive demands, now shifting focus to Croatian international Josip Šutalo of Ajax.
Lazio has abandoned its pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb's Sergio Domínguez due to excessive demands, now shifting focus to Croatian international Josip Šutalo of Ajax.
Josip Šutalo, the 26-year-old Croatian international center-back, could leave Ajax this summer. Lazio, under manager Gennaro Gattuso, has expressed interest in his services, according to renowned Italian transfer expert Alfredo Pedullà.
The Rome-based club has already explored the possibility of signing Šutalo but has yet to submit a formal bid. According to Pedullà, Ajax is open to negotiations for his transfer, seeking a fee of €12-13 million, with potential add-ons.
Lazio is in the market for a new center-back due to the uncertain situation surrounding Alessio Romagnoli, who is a target for Atalanta. Šutalo's profile fits the Romans' needs, and it will soon become clear whether this interest will translate into concrete talks.
Lazio is not the only club interested. Benfica has been monitoring Šutalo for some time, while Pedullà notes that the Croatian defender has already turned down two offers from Saudi Arabia. Dutch outlet VoetbalPrimeur also reports that Šutalo's departure from Amsterdam is increasingly likely.
The Croatian international returned to Ajax injured after the World Cup and has yet to play a single minute this season. He joined Ajax from Dinamo Zagreb in August 2023, signing a contract that runs until the summer of 2028.
In the meantime, he has become a regular starter for the Dutch giants and, in March of this year, entered Ajax's "Club 100," reserved for players with at least one hundred official appearances for the club.
Before turning to Šutalo, Lazio had seriously pursued another defender linked to Croatian football: Dinamo Zagreb's Sergio Domínguez. The Spaniard was the primary candidate for the Romans' defense early in the summer, with sporting director Angelo Fabiani even traveling to Zagreb to negotiate with Dinamo.
At the time, Italian media reported that Dinamo was asking for around €15 million, while Lazio attempted to reach an agreement with different terms and a lower fixed fee. However, negotiations ultimately failed to yield a deal.
In late July, Italian media announced that Lazio had abandoned this option due to Dinamo's financial demands, and by early August, Domínguez was already mentioned among the targets that had fallen through for the Romans.
Following that, Lazio shifted its focus to other defenders, including Noah Markmann and Ibe Hautekiet, and now Šutalo has been added to their list. If he were to arrive, it would likely completely rule out Dinamo's defender ending up in Rome this summer.
While the saga over Šutalo's transfer continues, Croatian clubs are playing important matches in the Conference League. Rijeka, holding a 1-0 lead, travel to Finland to face Ilves (6:00 PM), while Hajduk, leading 5-2, host Žalgiris Vilnius in Split (9:00 PM). Progress would take them to the Conference League play-offs, as announced by the Croatian Football Federation on social media.
Martin Baturina, a Croatian international playing for Como, scored a stunning goal in a friendly against Arsenal. The HNS shared a video of the goal on social media with the caption "Baturina. What a finish.", which was also posted by Como 1907 themselves.
