Ivan Ilić to Lecce: Torino renew contract, then loan out midfielder with €5m option

Torino have sent Serbian midfielder Ivan Ilić out on loan to fellow Serie A side Lecce, with the move including a purchase option worth around €5 million, according to Toro.it.

The deal came together within days of Torino handing him a fresh contract.

Journalist Edoardo Rotondale reports the deal is structured as “a loan with purchase option without any conditional obligation,” meaning Lecce can trigger the roughly €5 million option next summer but are not required to.

In an unusual twist, Torino extended Ilić’s contract through 2028 before sending him out, specifically so his parent deal wouldn’t be running low while he was away, since his previous contract only had a year left. The move became necessary after new coach Ignazio Abate made clear Ilić was outside his plans for the season, making him the first senior player to leave Torino this window.

Ilić, 24, has been a fixture in Serie A since joining Torino, but fell down the pecking order following Abate’s appointment.

Lecce’s move gives him a fresh route to regular football in the same league, rather than a step down in level, which should make the transition easier than a switch abroad might have been.

For Lecce, adding proven Serie A experience on loan with an affordable buy option is low-risk business as they look to strengthen midfield options. For Torino, extending a player’s contract purely to facilitate his exit is an unusual piece of business, but it protects the option value of a €5 million sale next summer if Ilić rebuilds his form at Lecce.

Status: The loan is complete and official. Ilić has already arrived at Lecce, undergone a medical and signed, with the buy option set at around €5 million for next summer.

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