We’ll take a break from the allegedly ongoing transfer negotiations for Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee and Atletico Madrid midfielder Giacomo Raspadori to focus on a new name in the Roma rumor
mill: Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca.
Lucca, a towering 6’7” striker from the Torino area, joined Napoli this past summer in a €30 million transfer after a productive two-year run with Udinese. Unfortunately for Lucca, with only one goal in 390 minutes, life under Antonio Conte hasn’t been as fruitful.
In some ways, his move to Napoli mirrors Evan Ferguson’s acclimation (or lack thereof) at Roma, where the Irish striker has struggled with injuries and inconsistency this fall. Despite creating the chance that led to Roma’s lone goal in their 2-1 loss to Juventus, Ferguson was singled out by Gian Piero Gasperini after the match, who said he remains unconvinced by the 21-year-old striker.
This leads us to today’s rumor: an indirect swap of strikers. According to Sky Sports’ Luca Marchetti, Roma and Napoli are weighing a trade that would see Lucca and Ferguson trade places, albeit indirectly. In this scenario, Ferguson would technically return to Brighton, which would then loan him to Napoli under the same terms he arrived at Roma: a season-long loan with an option to buy, reportedly worth near €40 million.
Despite Gasperini’s frustrations, Ferguson, who recently turned 21, appears to be shaking off the rust as we head into 2026. In his last five matches, Ferguson has put 55% of shots on target, generated five shot-creating actions, and scored two goals with 1.5 xG.
Ferguson may have taken longer than expected to catch on, but the player many fans raved about over the summer—who seemed tailor-made for Gasperini—appears to be taking form.
