Lecce Transfer Market: A Rivalry with Mantova for the Granata. Who Prefers the Giallorossi.

Torino is also working on player departures, with the goal of trimming the roster and freeing up resources to allocate to the transfer market. Sporting director Gianluca Petrachi would prefer permanent transfers, even though the offers received so far have mainly involved temporary transfers.

The most concrete lead involves Alì Dembélé, for whom Lecce has requested a loan with an option to buy. Torino is willing to discuss this arrangement, considering that the former Venezia player does not fit into the club’s plans. Mantova is also interested in the French player, where he played in the second half of last season, but the player is reportedly more drawn to the Salento-based club and the chance to see playing time in Serie A.

As for departures, Dembélé isn’t the only player leaving Torino. Ivan Ilic is now also on the periphery of Ignazio Abate’s technical plans: the Serbian midfielder has not been called up for recent matches, and Frosinone—newly promoted to Serie A—has made an initial inquiry about him. From the Bundesliga, meanwhile, contacts have reportedly come from Mainz and Freiburg.

The need to trim the roster is also driven by the demands expressed by Abate himself, who, after the Coppa Italia victory against Carrarese, issued a clear appeal to the club: “We need to raise the level of internal competition; we need to raise the technical standard. We have some structural limitations, so I expect a lot in these two weeks.”

The funds raised from these transfers could be reinvested to strengthen the right flank, a position currently covered solely by Marcus Pedersen. Among the players being tracked by Torino are Davide Calabria, fresh off his stint at Panathinaikos, and Matteo Darmian, a free agent following his departure from Inter, who shares a significant history with Torino, having been launched into the big leagues by the Granata.