Italy international Simone Pafundi set for Swiss move

In a massive surprise, Italy international 17-year-old starlet Simone Pafundi will depart Udinese for Swiss side Lausanne. The 5 foot 5 forward will make the transfer to Switzerland on a loan deal for 15 million euros up front, and from there a permanent deal can be reached for a fee of around 40 million euros.

This comes as a huge surprise considering the Lausanne-bound youngster has been tipped as a future heir to Lionel Messi, and moving to the Swiss league could be considered as a step down.

In November of 2022, Pafundi made his debut at 16 years old against Albania in a friendly for Italy. He became the third youngest debutant in the history of the Azzurri.

Since he came through the ranks at Udinese, in 2022 he made his debut for the club, last season appearing eight times in Serie A but has slipped down the pecking order so far this season.

It is understood that Pafundi has recently extended his contract in Udine until 2027. 

More to come on this potential permanent move as the summer transfer window approaches.