Alessio Romagnoli's proposed transfer to Al Sadd has collapsed for the second time in six months, the Italian defender confirmed on Thursday. Romagnoli will instead report for pre-season training with Lazio.
The 29-year-old centre-back had already agreed personal terms with the Qatari club on a three-year contract worth €6 million per year, and Lazio had agreed a €3 million transfer fee. Only the medical and official announcement remained.
However, Al Sadd asked Lazio to revise the payment structure due to a partial investment freeze affecting foreign transfers in Qatar, caused by the ongoing Persian Gulf conflict. The club requested that both instalments — originally due this year — be delayed by 12 months, meaning payment in July and December 2027. Lazio refused and recalled Romagnoli to their pre-season camp.
This is the second time a Romagnoli-Al Sadd deal has fallen apart. In January, the transfer was agreed before Lazio president Claudio Lotito blocked it after then-coach Maurizio Sarri publicly stated that losing Romagnoli would make survival the club's objective.
Romagnoli's agent, Vincenzo Raiola, confirmed the Qatar club is still waiting for the ministry to release budget for foreign acquisitions, but timelines remain unclear. Lazio, meanwhile, has told Romagnoli's entourage that no deal will be done unless the original payment terms are honoured.
The Biancocelesti are already searching for a replacement. Interest in Spanish centre-back Dominguez has cooled due to a wide valuation gap with Dinamo Zagreb, while 19-year-old Danish defender Noah Markmann of Nordsjaelland has risen in the pecking order at a €5 million price tag. Striker Juan Manuel Gimenez, currently at Milan, has also returned to the agenda as a potential attacking reinforcement.
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