Cagliari Transfer Market: A Surprise Option for Sebastiano Esposito. Giulini Is Considering It
Alberto Aquilani’s Sassuolo and Ignazio Abate’s Torino aren’t the only teams in the race for Sebastiano Esposito. In fact, in recent hours, Valencia has also expressed interest: through an intermediary, the Spanish club has conveyed its interest to both Cagliari and the player’s representatives. The Spaniards are looking for a second striker and have inquired about the conditions necessary to sign the forward: Giulini is considering it and is confident the Spanish club will make a move.
The situation involving the 2002-born player with Cagliari has been strained for weeks now. The rift erupted dramatically on the eve of the team’s departure for Germany, with the club issuing an official statement reporting his unauthorized departure from the training camp in Ponte di Legno. President Tommaso Giulini has described the situation as irreparable, and the striker’s transfer appears inevitable. His transfer value is not expected to fall below 20 million euros.
Torino remains among the most serious contenders: according to rumors, Esposito has already reached an agreement with sporting director Petrachi for a contract running through 2030. Torino is aiming to finalize a loan deal with an option to buy set at around 15 million euros, and could include a player swap to definitively convince Giulini. Among the names circulating are Adams, Kulenovic, and Ilic (though Ilic has since moved to Lecce). However, the need to sell players to raise funds is holding back the Piedmontese club’s signing efforts, and they risk seeing a deal that seemed all but done fall through—especially due to pressure from Sassuolo, which, according to Sky, has overtaken the Granata in the race for the striker in recent hours.
Bologna has also made a move with an initial inquiry. The approach by the Rossoblù management—with Sartori and Di Vaio leading the charge—is, for now, exploratory in nature and is also tied to possible developments in the transfer market involving Rowe and Cambiaghi. The Emilia-based club therefore wants to be ready in case one of the two were to leave.
It’s worth noting that the situation surrounding Jonathan Rowe is currently the main topic of discussion at Bologna: Atalanta has already submitted a second offer of 35 million euros plus bonuses for the young English winger, but the Bologna club has rejected it, asking for more than 40 million. Until the negotiations are finalized, the Rossoblù management is keeping all options open to strengthen the offense, and Esposito fits perfectly into this scenario.
Napoli also remains a factor to consider. Aurelio De Laurentiis has long been a fan of Esposito and had already tried to bring him to Napoli in the past. The Neapolitan president continues to closely monitor the 2002-born player, who therefore remains among the players Napoli is tracking for its attacking lineup.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Lazio had evaluated Esposito in recent weeks as a possible solution to their attacking crisis, only to ultimately rule him out: Coach Gennaro Gattuso deemed the player’s profile unsuitable for his needs, as he is not a pure center forward. This assessment effectively reduced the number of competing clubs by one, while leaving the pressure on Cagliari from the other suitors unchanged—and indeed increased.
