Lazio Shift Focus to Pinamonti After Dieng Deal Falls Through

Lazio’s attacking blueprint has been torn up and redrawn in a matter of hours.

Bamba Dieng’s move from Marseille collapsed after the Senegal forward failed his medical, according to Calcio Mercato, leaving the Biancocelesti without the striker they thought was already in the door. The deal’s breakdown forced the club to react fast rather than spend days licking their wounds.

Gennaro Gattuso didn’t hesitate. He picked a new target and pushed him straight to the top of the list: Andrea Pinamonti.

Gattuso’s new No. 1 target

The Sassuolo striker, born in 1999, has quickly become Lazio’s preferred solution to their attacking problem. Not just an option. The option.

Pinamonti has already told Sassuolo he wants out, a move that plays firmly into Lazio’s hands as they look to rebuild their forward line before the window shuts. With a clear desire to leave and a coach publicly hungry for a focal point, the pieces are there for a deal.

But the path is not entirely clear.

Fiorentina lurking, Kean the domino

Fiorentina are keeping a close eye on the situation. Their interest in Pinamonti could spike if Moise Kean completes a heavily rumoured move to Como, a transfer that would open a hole in their own attack.

If Kean goes, Fiorentina will need a replacement. Pinamonti fits that bill, and Lazio know it.

For now, though, the Rome club remain in pole position. They have moved earlier, they have a coach pushing hard, and they have a player who has already signalled his willingness to leave Sassuolo.

A busy Lazio summer

Pinamonti would arrive at the end of what has already been an assertive summer under Gattuso.

Lazio have brought in Alfonso Pedraza from Villarreal to strengthen the left flank, secured Davide Frattesi on loan from Inter Milan to add legs and goals in midfield, and signed Danilho Doekhi from Union Berlin to reinforce the back line. It is a squad being reshaped with clear intent.

What is missing is a central striker with Serie A know-how. That is exactly what Pinamonti offers.

He scored nine goals for Sassuolo in the 2025–26 season, a return that underlines his reliability in the Italian top flight. Not spectacular, but steady. The kind of domestic experience Gattuso wants leading his line as he tries to stamp his identity on this team.

Race against the window

The clock is now part of the story.

Lazio and Sassuolo are expected to hold decisive talks in the coming days to settle the structure of the deal. Fee, bonuses, formula: all of it still needs to be agreed, and there is little room for hesitation with the window closing.

Gattuso’s aim is clear. He wants Pinamonti through the door quickly, on the training pitch, and ready to start scoring as the fixtures come thick and fast.

Dieng’s failed medical threatened to derail Lazio’s late-window plans. If they can now land Pinamonti, it will feel less like a setback and more like a sharp, last-minute change of course that could define their season.