Five newcomers to watch in Serie A

The 2024/25 Serie A season gets underway on Saturday when champions Inter Milan travel to Genoa as favourites to retain their league title.

AFP Sport looks at some of the new faces to watch out for ahead of the coming campaign as the league’s big hitters try to cut the yawning gap that separated Inter from the rest last term:

Alvaro Morata (AC Milan)

Brought in to replace Olivier Giroud following the former France international’s transfer to Los Angeles FC, Alvaro Morata returns to Italy from Atletico Madrid a freshly-minted European champion with Spain.

The 31-year-old has some big shoes to fill up front — Giroud had a habit of performing in big games and was key to Milan’s 2022 Scudetto triumph — as the Rossoneri begin a new era under Paulo Fonseca.

Morata signed for Milan after the seven-time European champions decided to give up on the chase for new Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee, the club deeming 13 million euros ($14 million) a good deal for a experienced top-level centre-forward.

Raphael Varane (Como)

A world champion with France in 2018, centre-back Raphael Varane is the most eye-catching signing of Como’s busy summer in the transfer market after securing a historic promotion last season.

Varane has joined Como on a two-year deal with an option for another season after being released by Manchester United at the end of last season, and joins coach Cesc Fabregas’ ambitious and wealthy team ahead of their first Serie A season in 21 years.

The 31-year-old is a huge coup for Como as he has a wealth of experience at the highest level with three La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues at Real Madrid, who were also crowned world champions four times during his 10 years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mehdi Taremi (Inter Milan)

Not content with having Serie A’s top scorer Lautaro Martinez leading the line alongside Marcus Thuram, Inter have brought in Iran striker Mehdi Taremi to bolster a forward line which was found wanting when Simone Inzaghi’s first-choice pair were absent.

Taremi arrives from Porto where he averaged almost exactly a goal every other game over four seasons and won both the Primeira Liga title two years ago and three Portuguese Cups.

The 32-year-old will further strengthen a team which romped to the Scudetto last season and will also have Piotr Zielinski as a new option in midfield.

Douglas Luiz (Juventus)

The most expensive Serie A signing of the summer so far at £42.3 million, Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz is an unusual recent case of an Italian club paying big money for a top Premier League performer.

The 26-year-old signed for the Turin giants after five successful years at Aston Villa, who reached the Champions League for the first time since playing in its predecessor European Cup as holders in the 1982/83 season.

With 10 goals last term, he arrives as Juve remodel their team for new coach Thiago Motta and alongside his girlfriend Alisha Lehmann who has joined Juventus Women.

Artem Dovbyk (Roma)

With Romelu Lukaku back in limbo with Chelsea, Daniele De Rossi’s side have brought in last season’s La Liga top scorer as they bid to add domestic consistency after impressive performances on the continent in recent years.

Roma, Conference League winners in 2022 and Europa League finalists the following year, finished five points off the Champions League places last year and the capital club haven’t qualified for Europe’s top competition since 2018.

Ukraine striker Artem Dovbyk scored 24 times in 36 matches for Girona last term and at a reported 38 million euros, he and fellow new arrival Matias Soule are Roma’s two new hopes for the coming campaign.

Other transfers to key an eye on:

Lilian Thuram now has both his sons back in Italy after his youngest Khephren swapped Nice for his dad’s old team Juventus, who also have Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners firmly in their sights.

Bologna have replaced Zirkzee with fellow Dutch forward Thijs Dallinga who arrives in Italy after two successful seasons at Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse, while Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini will try to revive Italy winger Nicolo Zaniolo’s career as he did with Gianluca Scamacca.