Goal : With the winter transfer window now open, Serie A’s clubs are running the risk of losing those players whose contracts run out in the summer, and current Italian internationals Daniele De Rossi and Riccardo Montolivo head the list of footballers who have the ability to sign pre-contract agreements with a new side without their present employers’ say-so.
The Roma vice-captain is perhaps the most high-profile name among the 105 players with expiring deals, and while the Giallorossi are confident that a new contract will be agreed with the 28-year-old, the club’s supporters face a testing four weeks before the end of the month.
Fiorentina’s Montolivo, meanwhile, has been linked with a move to AC Milan among other clubs, and his eagerness to leave Tuscany has seen him lose friends quickly, to the point where a transfer in the summer, whether it be to Via Turati or elsewhere, is almost certain.
Juventus skipper Alessandro Del Piero is another star name on the list, and while he is in his 38th year, he will no doubt be looking at his future options ahead this month after the Bianconeri’s announcement earlier this season that he will not be offered a new deal.
Palermo, who are notorious for their short-term policy when it comes to coaches, actually have the fewest players with their immediate future up in the air. Only two of their first-team squad are not tied to deals beyond June 30.