Another twist in Mauro Icardi’s story following Gennaro Gattuso’s “no”
Mauro Icardi is reportedly considering a possible return to Galatasaray, according to the Argentine press. The former Sampdoria and Inter striker is still without a team and, after becoming a free agent when his contract with the Turkish club expired last June, has not yet secured a new deal.
Following talks with Lazio president Claudio Lotito and the lack of approval from Rino Gattuso, Icardi—eager to return to the field—is said to be considering the possibility of once again donning the Galatasaray jersey. Maurito, born in 1993, is reportedly even willing to significantly reduce his salary demands: he would accept a salary of around 2 million euros, down from the 3.5 million he earned until last June.
The Lazio option—which for weeks had been the most concrete possibility for Icardi’s return to Serie A—was definitively ruled out by Gennaro Gattuso’s public veto. The Calabrian coach explained his position in no uncertain terms: “No one disputes the value of a player who has scored more than 250 goals in his career, but we’ve already signed Pinamonti and Gudmundsson; adding Icardi would have tied us up in knots. There’s no point in signing players if you’re just going to leave them on the bench.” Before the coach put up that wall, sporting director Fabiani had worked for a long time to bring the Argentine to the capital, going so far as to offer him a contract worth 3.5 million euros per season through 2028—a figure that the player’s entourage, however, deemed insufficient.
Lazio wasn’t the only club to knock on Icardi’s door in recent weeks. Parma had also made a concrete offer, as the Emilia-Romagna-based club was looking for a finisher up front and saw Maurito as their key offensive player. From Greece, PAOK Thessaloniki and Olympiacos had made their interest known, while in England, persistent rumors had circulated about interest from Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham, which was seeking offensive solutions after a difficult start to the season. There was also interest from South America in the background, with São Paulo and Atlético Mineiro having tested the waters, even though Icardi had always expressed a preference for staying in Europe.
Meanwhile, the striker had responded in his own way to the rumors about his future, posting a provocative message on social media: “They confuse unemployment with failure; I call it a settled life. They confuse being without a contract with having no alternatives. I call it freedom of choice. I’ve worked to be the master of my own time, to have a secure future. Live serenely, live in peace, and with lots of love. I already have everything.” These words, however, have not changed the reality: Icardi is training on his own and waiting for a call that, more than three months after his release from Galatasaray, has yet to come.
