Five World Cup talents to watch in Serie A: England's Djed Spence, Christian Pulisic's new teammate and more
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- Kerim Alajbegovic signed with Juventus from Bayer Leverkusen after knocking Italy out of the 2026 World Cup playoffs in March and featuring for Bosnia at the summer tournament; the 19-year-old could rotate between Serie A and Europa League.
- AC Milan signed Diego Moreira from Strasbourg for around $50 million as a natural replacement for Rafael Leao at attacking left wing, with no advanced talks underway for the Portuguese star's departure.
- Inter replaced fan favorite Denzel Dumfries — who joined Real Madrid after a $20 million release clause was triggered — with Djed Spence for $30 million; Spence was one of Thomas Tuchel's surprise picks at the 2026 World Cup.
- Martin Baturina is expected to take a larger role at Como under Cesc Fabregas after scoring against England in the World Cup's opening game following a disappointing first season in Italy.
- Donyell Malen had his Roma move made permanent after scoring 14 goals in 18 Serie A matches since joining from Aston Villa in January 2026, and will lead Gian Piero Gasperini's attack in both Serie A and Champions League.
- Como will compete in both Serie A and the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history this season.
Why it matters: With Cristian Chivu's Inter defending the Serie A title against AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus, the league's competitive balance depends on how quickly roughly $80 million in new World Cup signings — Spence ($30M) and Moreira ($50M) — adapt to Italian football. Spence faces the steepest test: replacing Dumfries, a fan favorite Inter just lost to Real Madrid.
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