Four Italy internationals seeking January transfers ahead of 2026 World Cup

The January transfer window is well underway, and there are currently several Italy internationals pondering potential moves away from their current clubs ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the play-off campaign in March. Here is a look at who could be on the move this month. 

Federico Chiesa has not featured for Italy since the end of the disappointing EURO 2024 campaign last summer, and has had a turbulent time of it at club level since then as well.

After being frozen out at Juventus with less than a year on his contract in the summer of 2024, he ended up joining Liverpool in a cut-price deal worth around €15m. He has had to bide his time for opportunities at Anfield, despite becoming somewhat of a fan favourite among Liverpool supporters. 

In a surprise turn of events, there have been reports over the last few days that Juventus could seek a reunion with Chiesa, just 18 months after he was pushed out of the club. The Bianconeri have reportedly discussed a potential loan deal, while Liverpool would prefer an outright sale. 

Despite Inter sitting at the top of the Serie A table approaching the halfway stage of the 2025-26 season, there have been reports that Davide Frattesi is keen to secure a move away from San Siro this month. 

The former Sassuolo man has fallen massively down the pecking order and faces stiff competition for opportunities from Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Piotr Zielinski, Petar Sucic and Andy Diouf in the middle of the park. 

There has been reported interest from both Galatasaray and Juventus in January, however, recent updates claim that the situation is at a standstill. That is because Inter are standing firm with their €35m valuation, and are only keen on the idea of letting Frattesi go on a permanent or a loan with a fixed obligation to buy this month. 

It remains to be seen what the immediate future holds for Giacomo Raspadori. The 25-year-old left Napoli over the summer after winning two Scudetti in three years in order to join Atletico Madrid, where he has since struggled to nail down a starting spot. 

He has made 12 LaLiga appearances this term, but just one as a starter. He has two Champions League appearances this term, but has not featured in any of Atleti’s last four. 

There have been reports suggesting that he is close to a Serie A return with either Roma or Lazio, but a final decision is not expected to be made before the end of the Supercopa de Espana, which is taking place in Saudi Arabia over the next five days. 

Lorenzo Lucca joined Napoli on loan with an obligation to buy in a package believed to be worth €35m during the summer transfer window, but recent reports suggest that he could already be on his way out of the Stadio Maradona. 

That is largely due to the form of Rasmus Hojlund, who also joined Napoli on loan with a potential obligation to buy over the summer. Furthermore, Romelu Lukaku is back in training and is nearing a return after his long-term injury lay-off, which will cement Lucca’s place as Conte’s third choice. 

There have been suggestions from La Gazzetta dello Sport that Juventus could be interested in a deal in an attempt to fix their issues at centre-forward.