Although the transfer window is still open, Serie A stops for nobody and finally gets under way this weekend.
And we bring you our best XI of players who will be in new surroundings for the campaign ahead …
GK: Mike Maignan
Lille to Milan, €13m
It was never going to be easy for Milan to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma but in Maignan, they’ve done excellently in difficult circumstances.
The 26-year-old has been a standout at Lille for some time now and should have few problems stepping into some big shoes.
RB: Denzel Dumfries
PSV to Inter, €13m
The attack-minded wing-back promises to be an exciting additon, particularly under Simone Inzaghi, who got the best out of players like Dušan Basta and Manuel Lazzari in Rome.
If he can have the same influence with a player this talented, Inter fans could quickly forget all about Achraf Hakimi.
CB: Mattia Caldara
Milan to Venezia, loan
At 27, it really is now or never in the career of Caldara to live up to that shimmering potential he showed at Atalanta.
Admittedly, serious injuries have curtailed his progress but a chance to shine at the back for the Serie A new boys and moving away from the spotlight could give him the perfect platform to relaunch himself.
CB: Merih Demiral
Juventus to Atalanta, loan
Like Caldara, Demiral is another player who has not had it easy due to a nasty long-term knee injury last year and is looking to re-establish himself as a Serie A regular in Bergamo.
He has big shoes to fill after the departure of Serie A MVP Cristian Romero to Tottenham, but Atalanta often seem to get it right in these circumstances and this loan with a purchase option looks astute again.
LB: Gianluca Frabotta
Juventus to Verona, loan
One of the positives during a disappointing Juve season last year was the emergence of Frabotta under Andrea Pirlo.
There were enough glimpses during his performances to suggest that even if he may not make it at the Old Lady, he has the makings of an impressive and regular Serie A starter for many years.
CM: Lazar Samardžić
RB Leipzig to Udinese, €5m
The creative midfielder with an eye for goal and and precise passing is one of the most exciting low-key additions to Italian football this season.
While he can’t be expected to fill in immediately for Rodrigo de Paul given he is still just 19, he has shown enough of his quality in his native Germany to suggest the Friuliani have a gem on their hands here.
CM: Kevin Strootman
Marseille to Cagliari, loan
But despite a slew of knee problems, he is still just 31 and had some notable numbers at Genoa last season to suggest that he’s far from finished as some may believe.
CM: Hakan Çalhanoğlu
Milan to Inter, free
The fact that he has swapped one side of the city for another (the first man to move directly from Milan to Inter since Antonio Cassano almost a decade ago) already makes this a tasty transfer.
But doing so on a free and possessing the talent he does, having taken his game to a new level under Stefano Pioli, will really put him in the crosshairs come derby day next season.
RW: Marko Arnautović
Shanghai Port to Bologna, €3m
Over a decade since his last fleeting appearance in Serie A, the combustible Austrian is back in the peninsula with Bologna.
While we can’t predict he’ll be a hit with any given certainty due to his unpredictable nature (you only need look at his summer antics at Euro 2020 for evidence of that) there will surely be plenty of fireworks along the way.
ST: Tammy Abraham
Chelsea to Roma, €40m
But it looks like a smart roll of the dice from the club because the 23-year-old is one of the sharpest and calmest forwards around inside the penalty area. He is a huge upgrade on the departed Edin Džeko.
LW: Nicolás González
Stuttgart to Fiorentina, €27m
Big spending hasn’t been the modus operandi of late in Florence, which made it all the more surprising that the club splashed out to make Stuttgart’s González their most expensive signing ever.
It is a real statement of intent and the attacker looks like the kind of player who’ll flourish under Vincenzo Italiano.
