AC Milan Shakes Up Italian Transfer Window with Gonçalo Ramos and Other Big Signings

Italy's transfer window closed this Tuesday, a few hours before England's and Spain's, and it left a clear picture: nobody shook things up more than Milan. After four straight seasons without lifting the Scudetto, and with the added burden of competing in the Europa League, the Rossoneri decided enough was enough and set out to rebuild almost from the ground up.

The first move was locking down Luka Modric, who signed a one-year extension and will keep setting the tempo in midfield despite his age. The second, and by far the loudest, was the arrival of Gonçalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain, in a deal that could reach 74 million euros including add-ons. It is, without exaggeration, the most expensive signing in club history, and it arrives just in time to fill the void left by Rafael Leao's move to Galatasaray. Milan also touched up the flanks with Diego Moreira (from Strasbourg) and strengthened the back line with Spain's Mario Gila, arriving from Lazio.

Inter Looks to England

Inter, the defending champions, played a different game: importing names from the Premier League. John Stones arrived on a free transfer after his contract with Manchester City ran out, signing through 2028, while weeks later Curtis Jones landed from Liverpool for around 35 million euros to grease the gears of Cristian Chivu's midfield. Those two were joined by Djed Spence (Tottenham) and Ivan Provedel (Lazio), in a window that also saw significant departures: Denzel Dumfries, Davide Frattesi and Francesco Acerbi all left Milan.

In Turin, Juventus had to reinvent its attack after Dusan Vlahovic left as a free agent for Besiktas. The Old Lady brought back Kolo Muani following his previous loan spell, tied down Kenan Yildiz, and closed a last-minute deal for Nick Woltemade, on loan from Newcastle for 3.6 million euros plus 0.5 million in add-ons. Rounding out the list were young Jeff Ekhator, Bosnia's Kerim Alajbegovic, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, and the return of Nico Gonzalez after his loan spell at Atletico Madrid, along with Douglas Luiz, back after a stint in England. With 37 Scudetti to its name, Juventus is once again positioning itself to fight for the title and the Europa League.

Napoli, on the other hand, chose the opposite path: continuity. Massimiliano Allegri, taking charge on the Partenopei bench for the first time, decided not to tinker too much with the squad Antonio Conte built and prioritized keeping key pieces like Kevin De Bruyne. The most significant move was making the purchase of Rasmus Hojlund permanent, and he will remain the attacking focal point following Romelu Lukaku's departure to Fenerbahce.

Argentine Flavor in Rome and Florence

Roma, with Paulo Dybala as its standard-bearer, was among the most active clubs and bet heavily on the Argentine market: in came Santiago Castro (from Bologna) and Nahuel Molina (from Atletico Madrid), along with young Portuguese winger Rodrigo Mora from Porto. The flip side was the departure of Artem Dovbyk, loaned out to none other than Bologna, one of the more curious crossovers of the Italian summer. On defense, Roma added Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique de Marseille) and Marten de Roon, who returns to playing under Gasperini after a decade at Atalanta.

Cesc Fabregas's Como pulled off something that looked complicated: keeping hold of Nico Paz despite interest from Real Madrid. The Argentine, one of last season's breakout stars, will remain the axis of the Lombard side, joined by Spain's Luis Milla (arriving after standing out at Getafe) and defender Trevoh Chalobah, from Chelsea. The club did have to say goodbye to Alvaro Morata, loaned out to Leganes, though it found a replacement with the arrival of Moise Kean from Fiorentina.

And speaking of Fiorentina, that is where one of the names that generated the most buzz all summer landed: Franco Mastantuono. The young Argentine left Real Madrid and joined the Viola on loan, in one of the most talked-about deals of the Italian market. The Tuscan club also added Radu Dragusin, Oumar Solet and young Victor Valdepeñas, out of Real Madrid's academy.

Other moves rounded out the calciomercato map: Udinese landed Unai Gomez from Athletic Club for its midfield; Carlos Cuesta's Parma added Brazilian defender Diego Carlos; and Atalanta brought back Franck Kessie, returning to Italian football after several years away.