Palermo dives back into the market: to solve the Verre puzzle and the left-wing winger

Last Updated: July 23, 2023

Il Palermo torna a tuffarsi sul mercato: da risolvere il rebus Verre e quello dell'esterno di sinistra

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For Palermo, after a lively start to the transfer market, a slower phase was expected, both for economic reasons (only three departures, at no cost, compared to six arrivals) and to allow coach Eugenio Corini to assess the new signings individually. Now, despite the coach emphasizing the urgency of completing the squad, the club appears to be taking a more cautious approach to carefully evaluate the profiles to add and then potentially make a move.

At the top of the list, especially after the official transfer of Collocolo to Cremonese, remains the name of Verre: the player would gladly return to a club with which he has a strong bond and, compared to last season, would find a different formation (no longer 3-5-2 but 4-3-3) and an ambitious team aiming to reach Serie A as soon as possible. However, Sampdoria, the owner of his contract, also shares this ambition and would only let him go in the face of a significant offer, even if it came from a direct competitor like Palermo. Pirlo is trying to make Verre a key part of his project, but the allure of the rosanero (Palermo) colors could make him waver.

For the left-back position, there is a limited choice of candidates, but negotiations have not yet begun. In this case, Rinaudo and Bigon do not have a preferred option, but Corrado and Beruatto are among the most liked profiles. The club seems to want to wait for the Ternana’s ownership situation to stabilize before making a move for Corrado, while there is genuine interest in Beruatto (with Bari and Parma also interested), but Pisa’s request for 4 million euros is putting a brake on the negotiations, which haven’t started yet. Frabotta and Di Chiara are currently on standby: Frabotta was proposed by Juventus and the player’s entourage, but Palermo wants to assess the feasibility of other options before committing to him; as for Di Chiara, discussions would only happen after the administrative court decisions regarding Reggina, but there would be very little time between the Council of State’s judgment on August 29 and the market closing on September 1. The possibility of a return for Sala can be definitively excluded: through a lengthy Instagram post dedicated to Palermo, he hinted that a return to viale del Fante would be his priority, but the club had already decided to consider other options even before the pre-season training camp, and their stance has not changed. Sala is now the main target for Como in the left-back position.

In attack, with Shpendi off the table, there are several profiles under observation, but it is still unlikely that a forward will be signed before the end of the training camp. Sibilli and Rivas are particularly liked, also due to their reasonable cost. Regarding Sibilli, discussions with Pisa have been ongoing for weeks, but only on an exploratory level, without an official offer being made. As for Rivas, like Di Chiara, he is “prisoner” of developments regarding Reggina, and any potential negotiations might only start in a few weeks. The pursuits for Di Serio (depending on how Perugia moves for Soleri) and Tramoni are less active.

In terms of departures, Damiani is being pursued by Triestina and Vicenza: Palermo hopes to finalize the sale, possibly on loan, in the coming days to free up a spot for overage players. As for Broh, Crivello, Fella, Doda, and Mauthe, everything is still on hold. As for Silipo, a few details still need to be sorted out for him to complete his move to Audace Cerignola.

[Photo: Niccolò Corrado]