Lazio Pursues Franjo Ivanovic for Guaranteed Playing Time

Lazio have entered the race for Benfica forward Franjo Ivanovic, convinced they can offer the one thing the 22-year-old now values above everything else: a guaranteed place on the pitch.

The Croatia international arrived in Lisbon only last summer from Union Saint-Gilloise in a deal worth €22.8m, a clear statement from Benfica that they saw him as a long-term project. His first season brought eight goals and two assists across 42 competitive appearances – respectable numbers for a young striker adapting to a new league and a demanding club.

But the detail that matters most to Ivanovic tells a different story. Only 13 of those 42 games came from the start. Too many warm-ups, not enough kick-offs.

According to Sportitalia’s Alfredo Pedullà, that imbalance has sharpened Ivanovic’s priorities. He wants regular football, not cameo roles. The next move in his career, he has made clear, will be decided by minutes, not by badge or salary.

Lazio sense an opening.

The Rome club have reportedly approached Benfica with a proposal for a dry loan – a straight season-long deal with no option to buy. It is a low-risk move for them and a potentially high-reward one if Ivanovic can translate his flashes of promise into consistent output in Serie A. For Benfica, it would be a chance to give a significant investment the playing time he currently cannot be guaranteed in Lisbon, without closing the door on his future at the Estádio da Luz.

They are not alone in seeing the opportunity. Como, newly ambitious in Serie A, have shown interest, as have Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig and Hull City in England. Real Betis have also been linked. Each club can offer a different stage, a different style, a different kind of pressure.

What they cannot all promise with the same conviction is a central role.

Lazio believe they can. With Ivanovic’s profile – a mobile centre-forward with international pedigree and room to grow – he fits the template of a club that has often backed forwards on the cusp of a breakthrough. In Rome, he would not arrive as a novelty signing, but as a piece of a broader attacking rebuild.

Ivanovic’s rise with Croatia underlines why the scramble for his signature is gathering pace. He made his senior debut last year and has already collected nine caps, scoring twice and providing one assist. For a player still searching for a stable starting berth at club level, that is a sharp return in a fiercely competitive national team.

The picture is clear. Benfica hold the contract and the asset. Ivanovic holds the leverage of his ambition. Around them, Lazio, Como, Galatasaray, Real Betis and Hull City circle, each hoping to be the club that finally gives him what he is asking for: a season built on starts, not substitutions.

The next decision will say a lot about the player he wants to become – and about which club truly trusts him to lead the line, week after week.