Not many sides in Italy give Juventus a run for their money in Serie A. Lazio, at one point, looked serious contenders to dethrone The Old Lady but they fell off when it mattered.
Simone Inzaghi’s side finished just five points off the top of the table. They will now play in the Champions League next season and they will need strengthening to improve on what they have achieved this term.
Ciro Immobile will remain their star striker but a backup to the high-flying Italian is never a bad idea. Felipe Caicedo is expected to move on and Lazio are allegedly looking for another number nine to replace him.
Corriere dello Sport claim that the Biancocelesti have lined up three strikers to replace Caicedo and two of those are from the Premier League.
Aston Villa’s club-record £22 million signing Wesley (Sky Sports) is one of them, while Liverpool’s Champions League hero Divock Origi is the other who Lazio would like to bring in this summer.
Wesley started each of Villa’s first 21 league games this season and managed to score five times. The Brazilian contributed nicely off the ball as well but, just when he looked close to settling down, he suffered a terrible injury that ruled him out for the season.
The Villans had to bring in Mbwana Samatta in January to fill in for the Brazilian and his arrival could well force the Brazilian out the door, despite Wesley faring a lot better than Tanzanian.
The report says Villa will demand a fee in the region of £13.5 million to £15.3 million for Wesley, which is a loss on what they paid for him just a year ago.
Origi, on the other hand, has been a backup for Liverpool and that won’t change anytime soon. The Belgian has proved his worth for the Reds, especially in the Champions League. But, if he wants to be a regular, he will have to leave Anfield.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the coming weeks. Origi would arguably be the easier player for Lazio to get but, if Wesley wants to force a move away from the club, he might just get his wish considering Villa’s other options.
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