Five Italy players to watch after 2025 summer transfers | OneFootball

As Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy will resume their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign in September, Football Italia looks at five players who’ll be looking for a call-up after their recent transfers.

Earlier this week, Football Italia predicted five highly-rated Azzurri players who may be leaving their current clubs this summer, as some of their compatriots have already done.

There have been moves within Serie A clubs, returns or departures from Italy’s top flight, so here are five Italian players who have already joined a new club for 2025-26 and whether they could play for Gattuso starting September.

Diego Coppola from Verona to Brighton

It was one of the first transfers completed this summer,r and it arguably happened at the peak of Coppola’s career so far. The 21-year-old had just completed his first full season in Serie A and made his first two appearances at a senior level with the Azzurri. Coppola completed a move to Brighton at the start of June for around €12m and will surely be one of the players monitored by Gattuso during his tenure, although the promising defender will need solid performances in the Premier League to become a starter in the Azzurri back-line.

Matteo Ruggeri from Atalanta to Atletico Madrid

The Colchoneros had chased Milan’s Theo Hernandez and Liverpool’s Andy Robertson before picking the Italian left-back, who has yet to make his senior debut with the Azzurri. Atletico secured Ruggeri’s services for circa €17m and the defender’s path in Spain is undoubtedly one to watch during the 2025-26 campaign. Ruggeri was called up by Gattuso’s predecessor, Luciano Spalletti, once in March 2025, but has yet to make his senior Azzurri debut. The big question is: will he be able to beat competition from Destiny Udogie and Federico Dimarco down the left flank?

REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – JUNE 9: Mateo Retegui of Italy during the FIFA 2026 Qualifier between Italy and Moldova at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on June 09, 2025 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Mateo Retegui from Atalanta to Al-Qadsiah

The deal has not been announced yet, but the latest top Serie A goalscorer is set to join the Saudi side for circa €70m. Naturally, there are doubts on whether the Argentine-born forward can retain a regular spot in the Azzurri squad, but according to Gazzetta, Gattuso is not considering dropping the 26-year-old, who has six international goals in 20 Azzurri appearances.

Ciro Immobile from Besiktas to Bologna

This time around, it’s not a player leaving Serie A, but one returning to Italy’s top flight on a free transfer. Immobile, the best scorer in Lazio’s history, left Besiktas after just one season to join Bologna. A Euro 2020 winner, the 35-year-old has admitted that he hasn’t spoken to Gattuso, suggesting that he’s not part of the coach’s plans, but there’s just one way to possibly persuade Ringhio to change his mind: score as many goals as possible at the Dall’Ara. Ciro surely knows the way to go, having netted 201 times in 353 matches in Italy’s top flight.

FROSINONE, ITALY – MARCH 16: Ciro Immobile of SS Lazio compete for the ball with Enzo Barreneche of Frosinone Calcio during the Serie A TIM match between Frosinone Calcio and SS Lazio at Stadio Benito Stirpe on March 16, 2024 in Frosinone, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

Samuele Ricci from Torino to Milan

Barely 120 km separate Turin and Milan, but the journey Ricci has embarked on goes beyond that distance. His €25m move to Milan is surely the most significant step in his career, especially considering that he had become a semi-regular Italy starter under Spalletti after last summer’s depressing Euros, in which he had not participated. Contrary to Immobile, Gattuso did call Ricci after his appointment as Italy bos,s so the ex-Torino star is expected to be part of the Azzurri squad in September when La Nazionale will face Estonia and Israel in crucial World Cup qualifying games.