Marco Baroni’s new Lazio side is set to complete their first incoming transfer of this summer window. Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu’s reports about Lazio reaching an agreement with Hatayspor for the transfer of attacking midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru to Italy have been confirmed.
Born in 2001, the Nigerian player who also holds an English passport made 33 appearances in the latest Turkish league season, scoring 8 goals (9 including the national cup) and providing 5 assists.
Dele-Bashiru came through the youth ranks at Manchester City but never made a first-team appearance, leaving in 2020 to join Sheffield Wednesday. After 8 Championship substitute appearances in his first season, he became a regular in League One (English third tier) over the next two years with 57 outings and 5 goals. In summer 2023, he moved to Hatayspor in Turkey where he enjoyed his best season yet. His older brother Tom, also a former Manchester City academy graduate, is currently a midfielder at Watford where he featured 35 times last season.
A powerful and dynamic player who excels at making runs off the ball, Dele-Bashiru can also play as a winger on either flank. In terms of characteristics and position, his potential arrival would fill the void left by the departures of Luis Alberto and Kamada, or even that of Felipe Anderson in the attack. To complete the deal, for which a final agreement with the player is still pending, Lazio would pay Hatayspor €7 million plus bonuses.
However, he may not be the only investment in this area of the pitch, as contacts with Feyenoord for Calvin Stengs, a 1998-born attacking midfielder represented by Enzo Raiola, are also ongoing.
