Como reshapes squad: Morata out, Ricci in

Como’s late-summer overhaul is in full swing. With the Champions League draw now on the board and the fixture list suddenly looking heavier, the club has moved quickly to trim and tune a squad that was starting to look crowded.

The headline move is Alvaro Morata’s exit. The Spanish striker has officially joined Leganes on loan, with an option to buy at the end of the season. For Como, it clears both space and salary; for Morata, it offers a reset in familiar territory after a spell that never quite caught fire on the banks of Lake Como.

On the opposite flank of the project, Ignace Van der Brempt is also on his way. Multiple Italian outlets, including Sky Sport Italia and Sportitalia, report that Como have agreed a deal with Sassuolo for the Belgian full-back. It’s structured as a loan with an obligation to buy, the total package coming to €6.5 million.

Sassuolo had been tracking Rafik Belghali of Hellas Verona as an alternative, but the winger is now leaning towards Torino, pushing the Neroverdi to close on Van der Brempt instead.

While two players head for the exit, a key reinforcement is already walking through the door. Milan midfielder Samuele Ricci arrived today to undergo his medical with Como, a significant midfield addition for a side preparing to juggle domestic and European demands.

The deal is set up as a loan worth €1.5 million, with an option to make the move permanent for a further €22 million plus performance-related bonuses. It’s a sizeable potential outlay, but one that reflects Ricci’s pedigree and age profile.

Ricci was a major investment for Milan only a year ago, signed from Torino for €23 million plus bonuses. His time at San Siro, though, never fully took off: 34 appearances, one goal, and the sense of a player stuck between roles in a stacked midfield.

At Como, the picture changes. With Morata gone and Van der Brempt all but out the door, the club are not just cutting numbers; they are reshaping the spine of the team. Ricci arrives with something to prove, Como with something to build, and the Champions League looming as the real test of whether this late-window surgery has come in time.