Diego Coppola has struggled for prominence at Brighton and is inching towards an exit from the club.
The Seagulls paid Hellas Verona €11m to sign the defender in the summer of 2025. This came right after the centre-back was on the radar of major Italian clubs but the spell in England didn’t begin well.
He played only five times in the Premier League and was then loaned out to Paris FC.
Things improved in France, as he featured for over 1000 minutes in Ligue 1. That proved enough for Lazio to emerge as suitors for the Italian, as they plan on launching a new project under Rino Gattuso.
Sport Witness have covered how the foundation of the move has been laid down. Now, some progress has been made.
Agreement in place
Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport looks at Lazio’s incomings amidst plans to bring in several U23s players. Frosinone’s Fares Ghedjemis has emerged a key target but Gattuso is keen on bolstering the backline, with Mario Gila likely on his way out.
Brighton’s Coppola is a key target and the newspaper believe a ‘preliminary agreement’ between the two clubs is already in place.
The Seagulls have agreed to let the player leave on an initial loan, handing Lazio an option to buy of €12m.
Despite that, the deal is currently on hold. The Rome side need to finalise some outgoings before they bring players in. Gila’s contract runs out in the summer of 2027 and his departure will unlock Coppola’s return to Italy.
Our take: Seagulls should be happy with capital gain
Even if Coppola never established himself at Brighton, earning a capital gain from his exit is great for the Seagulls. They would also earn a loan fee from the deal, which makes it better.
This shows that the decision to loan him to Paris FC clearly paid off. It helped them retain his value, while making sure he played regularly in a top-flight competition.
