Serie A Daily Report - 2026-09-02

Carlyle and Bain were reportedly preparing bids for a minority stake in the company holding Serie A’s international media rights, according to Reuters. Oaktree, owner of reigning Italian champions Inter Milan, and Italian private equity firm Nextalia were also expected to participate. Binding offers were due by 4 September for between 10% and 20% of the venture, which would also include Serie A’s international betting and sponsorship businesses. The unit generates approximately €200 million in core earnings and could be valued at between €3 billion and €4 billion, figures that underline the commercial importance of the league’s overseas reach.

Serie A, Carlyle, Bain, Oaktree and Nextalia declined to comment, while JP Morgan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The league’s adviser began sounding out potential investors earlier this year, continuing Serie A’s efforts to bring outside capital into its media operations. A similar plan involving the domestic rights business was explored in 2021. Any transaction would give the league an immediate financial injection while allowing investors to gain exposure to international broadcast, sponsorship and betting revenues, but the reported bids remained part of a process rather than a completed agreement.

Napoli confirmed that Scott McTominay would undergo corrective surgery after the Scotland international developed a mild benign arrhythmia. The procedure, described by the club as cardiac arrhythmia ablation using pulsed field ablation, was scheduled to take place in the coming days. According to All Out Soccer, McTominay was expected to miss Napoli’s next four matches and become available again after the international break. The midfielder joined Napoli from Manchester United for £25 million in 2024 and has since become an important part of the Serie A side’s midfield.

McTominay sought to reassure supporters, saying: “I'm fine, the procedure was something I'd planned to do with the club for quite a while.” He added that the club had discussed it during pre-season and that he would be out for a few weeks. The comments presented the absence as a planned medical intervention rather than an emergency, although it still removed a key player from Napoli’s immediate schedule. His return after the international break would give the club a clear target as it manages his recovery and prepares for the next phase of the campaign.

Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz was reportedly the leading candidate to inherit Argentina’s No. 10 shirt after Lionel Messi ended his international career. Football Italia, citing reports from ESPN Argentina, said the 21-year-old was currently the most likely successor to the number previously worn by Messi and Diego Maradona. Paz was born in Spain, developed in Real Madrid’s youth system and had established himself with Como, while also appearing at the 2026 World Cup for Argentina. Messi’s retirement on 31 August created an unusually prominent vacancy for a player still at the early stages of his senior international career.

The reports also attached a condition to the decision: the number’s future was linked to Lionel Scaloni’s position as Argentina head coach. Scaloni has led the national team since 2018 and was expected to negotiate a new contract in the coming months. That meant Paz’s candidacy was not presented as a confirmed appointment, but as part of a wider decision about Argentina’s next cycle. For Como, the attention further raised Paz’s profile after his progression from Real Madrid’s academy to a central role in Serie A and the Argentina set-up.

Donyell “Bobby” Malen scored five goals in Roma’s opening two Serie A matches, according to an Associated Press report carried by Mail Online. The Netherlands forward had taken his total to 19 goals in 20 games since joining Roma on loan from Aston Villa in January. Only Gunnar Nordahl and José Altafini had scored more in their first 20 Italian league appearances, with both reaching 20, while Malen became the first player since Gabriel Batistuta in 1997 to score five across the opening two rounds. Roma had won both matches, scored eight goals and conceded none, leaving them top of the early table.

Malen had also declared that he was staying in Rome in a social media video, after parking a three-wheel Piaggio Ape and sitting down for an espresso. His scoring rate gave Roma an immediate attacking focal point and helped create the impression that the club had assembled a squad capable of challenging near the top after years without a comparable title push. The start remained an early-season sample, but Malen’s record placed him alongside historic Serie A marks and gave Roma significant momentum as the campaign moved beyond its first two fixtures.

Como 1907 was seeking to extend its internally developed commercial expertise to other clubs, with a particular focus on the kit business, according to Sports Business Journal. President Mirwan Suwarso described the approach as “multiclub servicing”, rather than multiclub ownership. The club’s owners, Indonesia’s Hartono family, acquired Como in 2019 when it was in financial difficulty, reportedly for less than $350,000. Since then, Como have risen from Italy’s fourth tier to Serie A and finished fourth last season, securing their first appearance in the Champions League.

Suwarso said Como generally offered capabilities it had developed successfully to other clubs, with partners sharing growth and revenue rather than operating through a conventional royalty arrangement. The model allowed Como to pursue scale without buying additional teams, while retaining its identity as a single-club operation. Its progress from a troubled lower-league side to a top-four Serie A finish provided the commercial foundation for the plan. Extending that expertise into kit services would give Como another potential revenue stream and could strengthen its influence in football business without changing its ownership structure.

Juventus finished the summer transfer window with nine new signings, according to a Yahoo Sports assessment, after two expected loan arrivals from Premier League clubs were completed on the final day. The club also exercised the option to buy Jérémie Boga, taking the total number of incoming or permanent moves to 10. The Serie A window closed shortly before midnight on Tuesday, bringing the domestic market to a close until the winter window. Juventus entered the summer without Champions League football and with Financial Fair Play restrictions expected to affect the club over the next several seasons.

The scale of the activity represented a busy rebuild after a management change in mid-June, although the final-day business was described as predictable rather than dramatic. Juventus’ recruitment therefore combined volume with financial limits, requiring the club to use loan deals and existing purchase options while reshaping the squad. The absence of Champions League income increased the importance of controlling expenditure, making the final composition of the squad a test of the new administration’s planning. Its success will ultimately be judged by how effectively those additions improve the team during the Serie A campaign.