Sampdoria manager Marco Giampaolo, their sporting director Carlo Osti and newly appointed technical director Walter Sabatini have been in Milan to discuss the club’s transfer business in the summer transfer window.
According to the Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, Sampdoria are willing to allow Lucas Torreira and Dennis Praet to leave the club. The Serie A outfit will use the funds raised from the duo’s sale to bring in new faces for next season.
The Belgium international’s contract at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris runs down in 2021 and he has a release clause of €26m. Praet is attracting interest from clubs in Italy, England and Spain.
Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United made a move for the Sampdoria attacking midfielder last summer and the report mentions the Tyneside club ‘remain interested’ in the player.
A move to the Premier League ‘does not excite’ Praet, but he is aware that a switch to England will give him more visibility and also increases his chances of making it to the national team.
In Italy, nearly all major clubs are interested in Praet. The list includes Inter Milan, AS Roma, Lazio, Juventus and Napoli, with the latter two the most interested in 24-year-old. From Spain, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are also in the race and the player is tempted to make a switch to La Liga.
