Genoa's Late-Window Search for a New No 9

Genoa’s search for a new No 9 is turning into a late-window puzzle, and Mehdi Taremi has now moved onto their board – if not yet to the very centre of it.

Daniele De Rossi wants a focal point for his attack and, as reported by Il Secolo XIX via CalcioMercato, the ideal profile remains clear: Evan Ferguson. The Brighton forward is still the priority target, with talks over a loan progressing, but the deal is tangled in medical reality. Ferguson is working his way back from ankle surgery, and the uncertainty over his return date is slowing everything down.

That delay keeps the door open for others.

Lorenzo Lucca is one of them. The towering striker, currently at Napoli, is being evaluated as another loan solution. The subplot writes itself: Genoa face Napoli at Marassi this weekend, with Lucca under consideration on the pitch and in the boardroom.

Behind those headline names sits Taremi. The Iranian international is not at the top of Genoa’s list, yet he refuses to slip out of the frame. After leaving Inter, he hit 16 goals for Olympiacos last season and featured at this summer’s World Cup, numbers that ensure he still draws interest from several clubs, not just De Rossi’s.

Genoa’s scouting net stretches beyond Serie A. The club are tracking Milutin Osmajic at Preston, the Montenegrin forward who offers a different physical profile, and Moroccan striker Tawfik Bentayeb at Union Touarga, another potential late-market opportunity.

De Rossi and the Genoa hierarchy are keeping every path open as the clock winds down. One of these names will have to become the reference point of their attack – the only question now is which gamble they are prepared to take.