Lanús defender Lautaro Valenti completes Parma move

· by · in lanus. ·

Serie A club Parma confirmed their first signing of the window but Lautaro Valenti’s move to Italy is the latest significant loss to Lanús.

It came as no surprise after an impressive debut campaign at La Fortaleza yet Parma signing the 21-year-old centre-back leaves Lanús with a number of positions to fill following the departures of Marcelino Moreno, Ezequiel Muñoz, Agustín Rossi and Carlos Auzqui.

A statement on Parma’s official website confirms Valenti has joined on loan with obligation to buy, reportedly worth around €8 million, penning a contract until 2025.

Having only made his senior debut in 2019 it wasn’t until last season that Valenti became a regular for Lanús, starting every game under Luis Zubeldía as El Granate finished up in seventh.

Valenti scored three times during the campaign but it was his defensive capabilities and excellent passing range that really caught the eye. Quick across the ground to cover in behind the left-back, Valenti looks to bring the ball out from the back and either carry into midfield or fire accurate long balls into the forwards.

A trait that has been evident since his time in Lanús’ youth sides but has been honed at senior level so not to leave himself so exposed as it did on occasion in the reserves.

Involved in the Argentina under-20 set-up over the past couple of years, Valenti will be pushing for a role in Fernando Batista’s Olympic squad in 2021 and a successful season in Serie A will certainly help his cause.

Lanús have already signed goalkeeper Lucas Acosta from Belgrano to replace the impressive Agustín Rossi, who returned to Boca Juniors, but have the difficulty of replacing both centre-backs. Free-agent Muñoz was unveiled as an Independiente player this week and with partner Valenti now also gone it leaves a huge hole for Zubeldía.

El Granate hope to add Rosario Central defender Emmanuel Britez and Racing midfielder Diego González but the impact of Covid-19 on Argentinian clubs has seen almost every club tightening the purse strings even further.

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