Udinese Transfer Market Heats Up With Branimir Mlacic Arrival
Udinese beat Inter to Branimir Mlacic as the Croatian talent arrives for medicals, while injuries force Runajic into emergency solutions.
Andrea Locorotondo
Updated on 02 February 2026
Udinese transfer market lands Branimir Mlacic
Udinese has been busy in these final hours of the transfer market.
After Inter courted Branimir Mlacic for weeks, the young Croatian ultimately chose to settle in Udine, probably won over by the desire of coach and fellow Croatian Kosta Runajic to join the Bianconeri cause.
Yesterday, the Friuli executives flew to Split to finalize the agreements concerning the promising defender born in 2007, who has just arrived at Villa Stuart for the usual medical exams.
Agreement with Hajduk and long-term contract
Mlacic is a big deal for Udinese. They just reached an economic agreement with Hajduk Split and the player.
After being close to joining Inter in early January, Mlacic is now ready to sign his new contract with the Friuli club, which will run out in June 2031 with an option for an extra season.
The Split-born talent has made 19 appearances and provided two assists for the Croatian side so far this season.
He won’t be able to help Runajic out tonight in the game between Udinese and Roma.
The Croatian coach is going to have to mix things up a bit because of all the injuries.
Injury-hit Udinese reshuffle ahead of Roma
Buksa is in rehabilitation, so it’ll be a while before he’s back on the pitch.
There’s no set timeline, but he’s making progress. Kamara won’t be available for the Roma game, and Rui Modesto won’t be either.
Zanoli is not available, and Lovric and Goglichidze have already left, so the team will be short-staffed for this reason too.
Zaniolo is doing better than expected and might be on the bench as soon as tonight.
This is a good sign for the Friulian number 10, in line with what his agent, Claudio Vigorelli, said about the former Roma player’s decision to move to Udine:
“He’ll definitely be in the game against Lecce, and there’s a chance he might be back for the Roma match, but he’ll be back for sure for the Lecce game. We’re thrilled with our choice of Udinese. He’s got a coach and a team that’s helping him become the player he used to be. In Udine, he found the perfect setting to shine as a top player. The fans view him as a leader, and he has shown that on the field.
Andrea Locorotondo
Andrea Locorotondo is an Italian sports journalist. He has been living in the UK since 2015 and he is accredited by the SJA and AIPS. In addition to his role as contributor for FootItalia, he has demonstrated his ability to effectively cover a range of positions in sports journalism. Former Sportitalia TV journalist back in 2014, he is currently employed as a data journalist for Opta and Sportsdata. He is the team leader of Italian commentators at GBVision. He collaborates with EA Sports and frequently appears as a guest on Italian radio and television shows, including RDS Serie A TV and La Fiera del Calcio, where he shares his insights as a Premier League expert.
Our unbiased editorial policy
Despite ongoing collaborations with commercial affiliates, the details, information, and reviews we provide remain honest and unbiased. We keep this in check by implementing a stringent editorial policy.
Our policy implements strict editorial standards, ensuring the integrity and trustworthiness of our articles, news, and reviews. Only the highest-quality content reaches our pages. We achieve this through conducting thorough research on each topic, conveyed to you using unbiased reporting, to ensure we earn your trust and keep it.
