Mauro Icardi is the man who could win Roma the Italian league title at the expense of his old team – but Premier League clubs won’t be able to touch him.
That is the opinion of European football expert Andy Brassell, who believes that the Galatasaray star’s return to Serie A is possible.
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Icardi became one of the biggest names in Turkish football following his arrival in 2022, before making the move permanent a year later.
However, the 32-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a Europa League win against Tottenham Hotspur in November 2024.
Victor Osimhen’s decision to convert last season’s loan spell from Napoli into a permanent stay has also seen Icardi move down the order.
The latter only started five times in the Turkish Süper Lig this season and failed to score in six Champions League games.
Icardi will leave Galatasaray next month
Brassell told The Pitch Prospect.com exclusively: “He’s one of those guys who’s hard to have around if you don’t have him in the team.
“And the fact that he feels the club is thinking twice about extending his contract, which expires at the end of the season. It seemed to be a mix-up [that he would extend] at one point.
“But you think: if he doesn’t make the eleven, do you really want to pay him £10 million a year tax-free plus?
“I think probably not, really. They can make better use of resources elsewhere.
“In recent days the Turkish media has asked whether there is a possibility for the club and the player to find a landing spot for him in the winter?”
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What’s next for Icardi?
The Argentine is a long-term Premier League target and Arsenal turned down the chance to sign him from Paris Saint-Germain in 2022.
As a teenager, Icardi was close to joining Liverpool before Brendan Rodgers pounced on Mario Balotelli.
The former Inter Milan captain even publicly confirmed that Manchester United had taken concrete steps to sign him.
Next month, Icardi could represent a market opportunity for clubs struggling to score goals towards the bottom of the Premier League.
However, Brassell believes a return to Italy is more likely and says the striker could be the man to win Roma the league title.
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Scott McTominay inspired Napoli to glory in May, on the way to victory the Series A MVP Award in his first year in Italy.
Antonio Conte’s men are tied with AC Milan at the top of the table in defending the Scudetto this year.
Icardi’s old club Inter are one point behind in third place, ahead of Roma, who would be hoping for a Luis Suarez-style goal from him.
Suarez memorably responded to his sacking by Barcelona by joining Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid, eventually scoring 21 league goals to help his new side win the 2020-21 LaLiga title.
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Premier League clubs wouldn’t attack him
On Icardi’s next move, Brassell added: “Now, despite his age and of course given his pretty bad reputation, he broke up with Wanda Nara last year, as he has been keen to show us on social media over the last few months with his new partner.
“The fact is that he was super professional at Galatasaray. He was a leader, he was good with young players, he has a connection with the fans, he tries hard and his goalscoring qualities are absolutely unbroken.
“He’s an incredible finisher. The type of guy you’d bring in to score your goals in the winter transfer window if you really needed him to.
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“A lot of Premier League clubs that should play a dart against Icardi wouldn’t attack him, probably because of his reputation, probably because [Lionel] Messi didn’t want him anywhere near the Argentina team, and that was one of the reasons why his international career ended a long time ago.
“Partly it’s because he’s 32 and he’s just had ACL success.
“Given the physicality of the Premier League, I can completely understand that.
“[Icardi] Playing at the front in the Premier League alone seems like a hard sell. I think Serie A is definitely a possibility.”
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He could help Roma win Serie A
“Suppose I were Roma, a team that doesn’t allow goals, has the best defensive record in the league, but can’t find anyone to score them. Would I then make them an offer for six months in January? Absolutely!” Brassell continued talking SPORT.
“Serie A is so open this season. I think if you’re Roma, he’s the guy who could win you the league.
“It might seem a bit far-fetched, but given the fact that they don’t give up clues and don’t have anyone who is completely clinical, that could make all the difference for them.
“You’re not looking for someone who’s going to be a long-term solution. He’s not going to be with you for four or five years or whatever.
“If you think someone is a bit like the ‘revenge Luis Suarez’ when he left Barcelona and won the league for Atlético, if I were Icardi that would appeal to me enormously.”