The 10 most valuable players in Serie A in 2024-25: Leao, Osimhen, Martinez…
If you’re old enough to have been following football in the 1990s, you’ll know that Italy’s Serie A was the best league in the world, and it wasn’t particularly close. It had the best players, the best coaches, the best stories, the best everything.
Things have changed a little. The Calciopoli scandal shook the country, Juventus were relegated and forced to sell many of their star players, and Football Italia stopped broadcasting on Channel 4, meaning Brits could no longer keep up to date with the latest Italian football news via James Richardson in some gorgeous little piazza with a gelato and a cappuccino.
Serie A is shaking off the knocks and finding it’s feet again, though. Inter reached the Champions League Final in 2022-23, where they were narrowly defeated by Manchester City—no shame in that. The Italian league is once again brimming with stars, and we’re taking a look at the most valuable of them in today’s market, according to Transfermarkt.
=1o. Bremer – €60m
Gleison Bremer Silva Nascimento came to Turin from Brazil’s Atletico Mineiro in 2018. It wasn’t Juventus he joined, though—the centre-back signed for rivals Torino, and spent four seasons with Il Toro.
Bremer joined Juve in 2022 and is now established in the centre of their backline, with a contract that runs until 2028. At 27 years old, the Brazilian has plenty of good years ahead of him, so €60million big ones sounds about right.
=10. Theo Hernandez – €60m
France’s starting left-back feels like he’s been around forever, but he’s actually younger than the aforementioned Bremer, at 26. Probably the best left-back in the league and often AC Milan captain, exceptional going forward, solid at the back, pace to burn, and great delivery from wide positions—worth every penny if you can get him at sixty million.
QUIZ: Can you name every British and Irish player to play in Serie A since 1990?
=8. Marcus Thuram – €65m
A newcomer in Serie A this season, and the Frenchman has hit the ground running. A superb foil for Lautaro Martinez at Inter, Thuram is mobile, quick, tall, and versatile across the frontline.
We’re a big fan of his brother Khephren joining Juventus this summer, setting up a fraternal battle at the top of the league. Who do you reckon Papa Lilian is supporting? He did play for Juventus…
=8. Dusan Vlahovic – €65m
The Serbian striker set his stall out at Fiorentina, and said come and have a look, Serie A, might I tempt you with a tasty selection of goals?
Juventus came along and said yes bloody please, we will take the lot, and off he went to Turin. Vlahovic has struggled to recreate his Fiorentina form for Juventus, but he’s improved every season since he joined, and 18 goals in 38 games last season is not to be sniffed at.
=6. Alessandro Bastoni – €70m
We never want to see this guy in a back four. Bastoni is designed for a back three in which he can be allowed to roam forward with the ball, flex his range of passing, and dictate from the back.
The Italian is 25 years old and one of the most sought after defenders on the planet. If he were ever to leave, you’d expect Inter to demand a lot more than €70million for Bastoni—he’s the absolute dog’s gnocchi.
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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the top scorer for every Serie A season since 1990?
=6. Douglas Luiz – €70m
The ex-Aston Villa man can do the bloody lot in midfield. He can break up play, he can dribble, he can pass, he can create, he can tackle, he is mint.
The Brazilian recently signed for Juventus, as did his girlfriend Alesha Lehmann, which is nice. We fancy Luiz to be a massive hit in Serie A, mainly based on the fact that he is pure class at football.
=4. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia – €80m
We’re a huge fan of any player whose first instinct when he gets the ball is to see how many players he can nutmeg in the next five seconds. He’s the sort of player who makes you smile. Georgia’s plan in the early stages of Euro 2024 was to, essentially, give Kvara the ball and let him cook. Smart.
Napoli struggled a little last season, and will be hoping to bounce back in 2024-25. If they manage to do that, Kvaradona will be vital. We’re expecting Hazard-esque ridiculousness under Antonio Conte.
=4. Nicolo Barella – €80m
For our money, the best midfielder in Italy right now. Inter ran away with the Scudetto and that was in no small part down to the midfield mastery of Nicolo Barella.
Barella was heavily linked to Newcastle United before his compatriot Sandro Tonali joined the Magpies. Tonali missed the vast majority of the season, Barella won Serie A.
QUIZ: Can you name every player from the United States to play in Serie A?
3. Rafael Leao – €90m
Milan’s fluorescent winger must be a nightmare to play against. Full-backs dare not get near him for fear of being publicly humiliated in front of their friends and families.
The Portuguese winger has stepped into Cristiano Ronaldo’s old position in the Portugal national team, now that Ronaldo is essentially a target man, and Leao doesn’t same fazed in the slightest.
2. Victor Osimhen – €100m
Napoli’s Nigerian striker has been linked with more transfers than one of those buses that takes you from the plane to the airport terminal.
The man from Lagos scored 26 Serie A goals in Napoli’s title-winning 2022-23 season, and still managed 15 goals in 25 games last season despite Napoli’s relatively poor performance. No wonder everybody wants Victor.
1. Lautaro Martinez – €110m
For whatever reason, it feels like Lautaro rarely gets the praise he deserves outside of Italy. The Argentine striker is tenacious, quick. strong as a bull, and deadly in front of goal.
Inter’s capitano is integral to their success, and has struck up a lovely partnership in a 3-5-2 situation alongside Marcus Thuram recently. A possible Serie A legend is in the making here, and whilst everyone knows his name, it still feels like Europe is sleeping on him.