Como reshapes squad: Morata out, Ricci in, Van der Brempt to Sassuolo

The Champions League draw has done its job in Como. It has sharpened minds and accelerated decisions. With the group stage looming, the club are cutting, reshaping and gambling on a new balance.

Alvaro Morata is out. Samuele Ricci is in. Ignace Van der Brempt is next to go.

Morata makes way

The first big name out of the door is Morata. Como have officially sent the striker back to Spain, where he joins Leganes on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.

It is a clear signal. Como are trimming a crowded attacking department and freeing up salary and space in the squad. Morata, who arrived as a statement of ambition, now becomes a calculated sacrifice as the club adjusts to the demands of domestic and European competition.

Van der Brempt to Sassuolo

On the right flank, another piece moves.

Multiple Italian outlets, including Sky Sport Italia and Sportitalia, confirm that Como have reached an agreement with Sassuolo for Ignace Van der Brempt. The deal is structured as a loan with an obligation to buy, for a total package worth €6.5m at the end of the season.

Sassuolo had kept their options open. They also pursued Rafik Belghali from Hellas Verona, but the winger is now edging towards Torino instead, leaving Van der Brempt as their primary target for the right side.

For Como, it is another pragmatic call: cash in on a player with strong market value and reinvest where the squad needs a different profile.

Ricci, a Milan investment looking for minutes

The incoming move is the one that will intrigue Serie A watchers most.

Samuele Ricci, the Milan midfielder, arrived today to undergo his medical with Como. The deal is set up as a loan worth €1.5m, with an option to buy at the end of the season for another €22m plus performance-related bonuses.

Those numbers matter. Milan paid €23m plus bonuses to take Ricci from Torino last summer, viewing him as a long-term pillar in midfield. But the season never truly opened up for him: 34 appearances, one goal, and no guaranteed starting role in a squad stacked with competition.

Como are betting that the player Milan never fully unlocked can become the heartbeat of their own midfield. For Ricci, it is a chance to step out of the shadows and into a team that will lean heavily on his ability to dictate tempo and connect phases of play.

As the window closes and the Champions League adventure begins, Como’s message is blunt: no passengers, no sentiment. Morata moves on, Van der Brempt follows, and Ricci walks through the door with a price tag that speaks of trust. Now he has to play like it.