Serie A clubs are racing to finish their squad lists for next season and for Europe, and the scramble has put a fresh premium on Italian players. Napoli have been linked with Andrea Pinamonti as an alternative to Rasmus Hojlund, while Romelu Lukaku's exit has been described as imminent, leaving the club to adjust its plans in the current transfer market.
The numbers explain why the market has turned in that direction. This season, there were only 169 Italian players in action out of 536 registered players in Serie A, or 31.5% of the total. That shortage is pushing clubs to think not only about quality, but also about the paperwork that comes with domestic and European registration.
Como are among the teams moving early. With international commitments in mind for next season, they are working to add Italian talent to the squad and have looked at three possible targets: Marcandalli of Genoa, Luca Pellegrini of Lazio and Antonino Gallo of Lecce. The club's planning fits a wider trend across the league, where roster construction is no longer just about the best available player but also about filling slots required by the rules.
Those rules matter because clubs must meet squad-list requirements that include at least four players with the passport of the host country and four players developed in Italian youth academies. That is one reason Italian names have moved higher up shopping lists across Serie A, even for teams that are not usually built around domestic players.
Napoli's search is tied to that same pressure. Alongside Pinamonti, Lorenzo Lucca has also been mentioned as a player who could be interesting for the club in Castel Volturno, as it looks for ways to replace Lukaku and stay compliant for the season ahead. Gianluca Scamacca was also said to feel only partly at ease at Atalanta, another sign that the summer market could shift quickly if more clubs decide they need Italian forwards to satisfy both sporting and registration needs.
The problem is bigger than one club, and it is not going away soon. Serie A's low share of Italian players has become a practical issue as much as a sporting one, with clubs preparing now for next season's league and European demands. The teams that move fastest on domestic talent may not just be preparing better squads. They may also be the ones that avoid discovering too late that the market has made the rules the real constraint.
