Lazio's Shift to Pinamonti After Dieng's Failed Move
Bamba Dieng’s move to Lazio has collapsed, and it has blown the club’s attacking plans wide open.
The Senegal forward failed his medical examinations, according to Calcio Mercato, forcing the Biancocelesti to tear up a near-finished deal and react on the fly. No easing into a Plan B. They had to sprint to it.
Gattuso turns to Pinamonti
Gennaro Gattuso has responded by zeroing in on a new target: Andrea Pinamonti. Not just an option. His absolute priority.
The Sassuolo striker, born in 1999, has surged to the top of Lazio’s shortlist as the club looks for a reliable presence to lead the line. The timing helps. Pinamonti has already asked to leave Sassuolo, a move that puts Lazio in a strong negotiating position and gives Gattuso a clear opening.
The Rome side, though, are not alone in the race.
Fiorentina lurking in the background
Fiorentina are watching the market carefully and have Pinamonti firmly on their radar. Their interest could sharpen quickly if Moise Kean seals his heavily-rumoured switch to Como. Should that domino fall, the hunt for a replacement in Florence would intensify, and Pinamonti’s name would move even higher on their agenda.
For now, Lazio remain at the front of the queue. They have moved early, they have the coach’s conviction, and they have a player who has already signalled his willingness to move.
A busy Lazio window
Pinamonti would be the latest piece in what has already been a proactive summer under Gattuso. Lazio have brought in Alfonso Pedraza from Villarreal, added Davide Frattesi on loan from Inter Milan, and strengthened the back line with Danilho Doekhi from Union Berlin.
An Italian striker with Serie A miles on the clock would round that out. Pinamonti hit nine goals for Sassuolo in the 2025–26 campaign, a return that underlines his value as a domestic, battle-tested forward rather than a gamble from abroad.
Race against the clock
Now it comes down to talks. Lazio and Sassuolo are expected to hold decisive meetings in the coming days to nail down the structure of the deal, with the transfer window ticking towards its close.
Gattuso wants his man through the door quickly. The idea is simple: get Pinamonti in, get him fit, and get him firing in time for the upcoming fixtures, turning a failed medical into the spark for a late-window coup.
If Lazio can close this, what started as a setback with Dieng may yet end as the defining twist of their summer.
