AC Milan and Juventus dealt transfer blow despite striker target admitting to idolising legendary forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic

In a recent conversation with Italian journalist, Carlo Garganese on The Italian Football Podcast, Lorenzo Lucca expressed his commitment to Udinese and shared that he is still under contract with the club. This comes as a huge blow to several Italian clubs who were interested in signing him.

Lucca has been impressive for Udinese this season, scoring thirteen goals and providing two assists in 35 games. The Italy international's goals have come at some of the more crucial stages for the club. This caught the attention of several major Serie A clubs, who began scouting the player and expressed interest in making an offer. During the interview, the Udinese striker shared that Ibrahimovic is his idol and put the transfer rumours to bed, emphasising that he's still under contract with Udinese.

During a podcast with Garganese, Lucca said: “For me, it has always been Ibrahimovic, ever since I was a kid. I always watched videos of him, the plays he made, his goals. He was always my idol.”

He added: “I think that every lad who starts playing football wants to play for the national team and for a top team. But right now, I am only thinking about Udinese, I am under contract with them. They believed in me from the beginning when no other club was looking to sign me. I am happy to have this relationship with this club that is really extraordinary."

Lucca's contract with the Udine club runs till 30 June 2028. However, given the uncertainty that surrounds the transfer market, nothing is concrete. Udinese's season concludes on 26 May 2025, as they face Fiorentina in their final game of the campaign.