Serie A club Fiorentina is positioning themselves to make a move for Socceroos attacker Cristian Volpato who is contracted with Sassuolo until 2028.
Volpato impressed in three games for the Socceroos during the World Cup, after switching his allegiance to Australia weeks prior to the tournament.
Fiorentina are angling for a €15 million bid for Volpato, although his current club Sassuolo has valued him at €20m, leaving some work to negotiate a price. Anything in this ballpark will bring Volpato close to Harry Souttar’s record as most expensive Australian transfer.
Speaking on the interest, Volpato said: “Fiorentina is a great team. They had a bit of a difficult year, but the players are there, Viola Park is a structure of the highest level and I also know the coach.
“So many reasons to choose it? Yes, but now I’m a Sassuolo player and that’s what I think about.”
Fiorentina, who are led by Fabio Grosso, had a disappointing 2025-26 campaign finishing in 15th but are looking to be proactive in the transfer market this off-season to rise up the table.
There are Dutch reports linking Eredivisie club FC Groningen with a move for breakout Socceroos midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler. The 21-year-old defensive midfielder is contracted with Sydney FC until mid-2028.
German media outlet Neue Presse Hannover is reportedly that 2.Bundesliga club Hannover 96 is weighing up a move for Socceroos and Melbourne City goalkeeper Patrick Beach. Hannover finished fourth last campaign, narrowly missing the promotion playoff.
Italian newspaper Il Mattino is reporting that Serie A giants Napoli has placed teenage Socceroos and Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington on their transfer list. Herrington has already been linked with Barcelona and Liverpool, as per last week’s Transfer News.
Last week, the Daily Mail in the UK reported that ambitious English Championship club Wrexham were circling to launch a bid to sign Harry Souttar. The Socceroos defender is currently contracted with Leicester City, who were last season relegated to England’s third tier.
There are reports that Ange Postecoglou’s new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr are interested in making a move for New York City’s Socceroos midfielder Aiden O’Neill.
Watford’s technical director Gian Luca Nani has discussed Nestory Irankunda’s future at the club, having been linked with Premier League and Italian Serie A clubs following a positive World Cup. The 20-year-old is contracted with the Hornets until 2030 after swithing from Bayern Munich.
Nani said: “I’m super happy for the boy but a lot of big clubs are watching him. Now we have to fight to keep him. I’m happy when a top club is asking for some of our players because it’s a certification that we’ve done a good job.
“It’s also not that we want to sell everybody, but it’s also part of our job. Nestory is a great guy and he’s doing super well.
“We are proud of what he’s doing and all the world is talking about him. In Italy, everybody is talking about him. We would really like to have him with us but let’s see what the market says.”
