As the last of the top five leagues, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 571 Serie A players.
The top four players in Italy's first division, Lautaro Martínez (€85 million), Alessandro Bastoni (€80m; both Inter Milan), Kenan Yıldız (€75m; Juventus), and Rafael Leão (€70m; AC Milan) all remain unchanged. New in the top five is Como’s Nico Paz. The Spanish playmaker saw his market value increase by €10m from €55m to €65m to push ahead of AC Milan’s US men’s national team star Christian Pulisic (€60m) into the top five of the most valuable players in Serie A.
“Paz stands out with his technique, vision, and feeling for space,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Italy Jatin Dietl said. “Those abilities allow him to control the tempo of a game and play precise passes between the lines. Although pressing isn’t one of his biggest strengths, he compensates for it by making smart runs. He also dribbles well and is good in the air. He certainly stands out at Como and has already been directly involved in ten goals. Together with Yıldız, he is one of the most exciting talents in Serie. But because Real Madrid have a buy-back option for him for just €10m, his future is going to be in Spain sooner rather than later.”
The Como playmaker isn’t the only top talent to watch. Three other players to keep an eye on are Atalanta’s Honest Ahanor (+€5m to €25m), Cagliari’s Marco Palestra (+€16.5m to €25m), and AC Milan’s Davide Bartesaghi (+€15m to €18m).
That’s where the positive news ends at Inter Milan. Among the downgrades were Nicolò Barella (-€5m to €60m) and Marcus Thuram (-€15m to €60m). “Thuram’s development unfortunately hasn’t gone in the right direction,” Dietl said. “The Frenchman has struggled with injuries, which have also impacted his form, even though he has, without a doubt, outstanding qualities. Furthermore, the Frenchman turns 28, and that results in a considerable downgrade in market value.”
The two Inter stars aren’t the only players to have been downgraded. At Napoli, Scott McTominay, one of the best players in Serie A last season, saw his market value reduced by 10%, from €50m to €45m. “The expectations after a great season have simply been too high this season,” Dietl said. “Solid performances aren’t enough to maintain a high market value. Plus, he is 29 now, and that makes it more difficult to maintain a high market value.”
Finally, there is Canadian men’s national team forward Jonathan David. “Juventus celebrated the fact that they were able to sign one of the most valuable free agents available on the market last summer,” Dietl said. “But he has struggled to play at the level he has shown at Lille since joining Juve. Whether he can adjust remains to be seen, but his market value is now dropping like a stone.” Indeed, after scoring just three goals and one assist in 21 games across all competitions, David sees his market value drop by €10m from €45m to €35m.