Swap deals don’t get made nearly enough in football, and there’s no league with a more enticing slate of potential trades than Serie A with so many clubs hoping to reach that next level, whether it’s winning the Scudetto every year or getting over the Champions League hump.
Here are five trades for every contending team in the Italian top flight to consider making in the summer 2025 transfer window.
Juventus swap Dusan Vlahovic for Randal Kolo Muani with PSG
The first swap deal on the list is the most obvious one. Dusan Vlahovic joined Juventus with a lot of hype in 2022 for a fee of over 80 million euros, but he has failed to live up to that hefty price tag – or the weight of being the Juventus No. 9.
Vlahovic has so much talent, but it’s not working out for him in Turin. With Thiago Motta fired, Vlahovic should get one last shot at making good on his prolific talent, but if he can’t, Juve may want to consider a swap that would secure the future of a striker who has impressed more in Turin.
While I’d actually take Vlahovic over Randal Kolo Muani in a vacuum, it can’t be ignored that in a matter of weeks on loan from PSG, RKM took the starting job right under the Serbian international’s grasps.
Kolo Muani is an electrifying player, though he also failed to live up to a loft price tag in Paris. PSG would be better off letting Kolo Muani shine with Juventus, and, in return, Juve could give Paris the chance to resurrect Vlahovic, just as they did Ousmane Dembele.
Napoli swap Victor Osimhen for Marcus Rashford with Manchester United
Napoli have to find a suitor for Victor Osimhen this summer, because his move to Galatasaray this summer was just a one-year stopgap to relieve the Nigerian superstar’s wages.
Osimhen has still been pretty good for Galatasaray, but because he isn’t setting records in the disrespected Turkish league, Osimhen’s transfer value, if anything, has sagged.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford is showing signs of life at Aston Villa, and I believe the Manchester United product could do even better if he were allowed to leave the scrutiny of the Premier League entirely.
Rashford has the technical quality to excel in Serie A, which, while being faster than decades ago, is still a league that favors more methodical players like Rashford.
Manchester United need a No. 9 who can threaten to score 30 goals in a season, and Napoli need a goal-scoring left winger who can replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and take the pressure off Romelu Lukaku and Giacomo Raspadori (if the latter even stays this summer).
Roma swap Paulo Dybala for Rafael Leao with AC Milan
On the face of it, a straight-up swap for Paulo Dybala and Rafael Leao isn’t fair financially, because Dybala is over the age of 30 and Leao is still, in theory, a high-upside player who has yet to hit his prime at 25 years old.
But Roma could package some cash in addition to Dybala in order to acquire Leao, a game-changing left winger who would fill a gaping need. Stephan El Sharaawy is a modern icon of Serie A and a “streets will never forget” player, but he should not be starting regularly in 2025/26 Serie A for a team with Europa League ambitions.
Roma have been just as disappointing as AC Milan this summer despite an offseason of investment, and by selling Dybala for an even more talented footballer, they can set Matias Soule up to be the true heir on the right side of the attack. Leao can also create chances for Artem Dobyk in the middle.
For Milan, Dybala is a much-needed veteran leader with an MVP pedigree. He knows how to win and lead teams by example in this league. Christian Pulisic could then swap over to the left side of the attack, which is actually his favored position, and Samuel Chukwueze can get more minutes as the backup right winger.
AC Milan swap Samuel Chukwueze for Dodo with Fiorentina
Speaking of Chukwueze, if Milan don’t swap Leao for Dybala, a different swap deal could be Samuel Chukwueze for Dodo. And that move could still theoretically happen even if they do trade for Dybala on the right wing.
Dodo has been one of the breakout stars of the 2024/25 Serie A season and an unsung reason why Fiorentina find themselves in contention for a Champions League spot, having recently blown out Juventus.
AC Milan can’t think of Kyle Walker as a permanent solution on the right flank either, because he is well over the age of 30 and barely better than Davide Calabria athletically at this stage of his career.
The Rossoneri need someone who can fully support the right winger as an attacking outlet and cover the ground necessary to start attacks. Acquiring Dodo, assuming Milan can hold onto Theo Hernandez, would immediately give the 2021/22 league champions the best fullback duo in Serie A.
Juventus swap Teun Koopmeiners for Ademola Lookman with Atalanta
Teun Koopmeiners, like so many other marquee signings for Juventus over the last five years, has flashed his quality but overall failed to deliver on his price tag or expectations in his first season in Turin.
The 2023/24 breakout star in Bergamo has looked like a fish out of water in the choppy waters of the Allianz Stadium, and, as with Dusan Vlahovic, while he should earn himself a couple of more months at the club under a new coach, it may be better off for Juve to ship him back.
He doesn’t fit the way Juve play, since he’s more athletic than technical. Koopmeiners isn’t someone who can read the game defensively or be a metronome in midfield as a passer; he’s more about causing chaos and trying to grab goals.
Juventus, meanwhile, need a true superstar on the wings who can spread the pitch vertically and horizontally while offering a creative and goal threat. They need an elite Serie A player, and, so far this season, there hasn’t been anyone better than Ademola Lookman, who has outshone Juve’s attackers en route to La Dea being significantly superior Serie A contenders.
The Bianconeri would have to add a little bit of cash to entice Atalanta, but since Gian Piero Gasperini has spat with Lookman publicly, there could be an opening for Juve to acquire him – and, surely, Atalanta would love to reunite with a player vital to their Europa League triumph last season.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.