Lazio Transfer Market: A Bonus for Gattuso—Who Is Diogo Leite?

Lazio has officially announced the signing of Diogo Leite, a Portuguese center back: born in 1999, he was a free agent and has signed a contract with the Rome-based club through 2028.

“S.S. Lazio officially announces the signing of Diogo Filipe Monteiro Pinto Leite, who became a free agent after leaving FC Union Berlin on June 30, 2026. The player has signed a two-year contract with an option to extend for an additional two seasons.”

Having come up through Porto’s youth system, Leite left Union Berlin on a free transfer in June. The 27-year-old, who stands 190 centimeters tall, has played in the Bundesliga for the past four years, making 113 appearances for the Rome-based club in Germany’s top division. In the past, he played for Porto, his home club, and Braga. He has made 22 appearances for the Portuguese Under-21 national team.

Leite’s arrival fills the void left by Alessio Romagnoli, who bid farewell to the capital after choosing to move to Al Sadd in Qatar, where he will earn approximately 20 million euros through 2030. This departure is part of a broader process of rebuilding Lazio’s back line: during this transfer window, Lazio had already bolstered its defense with the signings of Doekhi and Sutalo, and had also parted ways with Gigot and Mario Gila.

The Biancocelesti lead Serie A with a perfect record alongside Roma and Inter after three matchdays. Gennaro Gattuso, in his first season on the Lazio bench, has already achieved a historic milestone: Lazio had not won its first three league matches in the past 14 years. Davide Frattesi has been a standout, already with three goals in as many matches, while new signing Gudmundsson—who arrived on loan from Fiorentina with an option to buy—has already found the back of the net, as he did in the 2-1 victory on Udinese’s tough home turf last matchday.