Football Manager 2021: Serie A Transfer & Wage Budgets for all Clubs

Whether it’s winning Juventus their first UEFA Champions League title since 1996 or halting the Old Lady’s league domination, one thing is certain: you’ll need to know the funds at your disposal.

At the start of any new Football Manager 21 save, the team will already have their real-life summer signings. So, the transfer budgets of clubs take these expenditures into account, making some a little but smaller than you may expect.

Here, you will find the top-five transfer budgets of Serie A detailed below, as shown in the FM21 beta, with a full table of all of the league budgets at the foot of the page.

Zebre (£22,845,864 Budget)

Reputation: Four-and-a-half stars
Transfer Budget: £22,845,864
Wage Budget: £4,641,378
Key Players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Matthijs De Ligt

A busy transfer window for Juventus saw midfielder Arthur sign from Barcelona, with star player Miralem Pjanić moving in the opposite direction. Key players Gonzalo Higuaín and Blaise Matuidi left on free transfers, with former striker Alvaro Morata joining on-loan.

Looking for a tenth-consecutive title, the Bianconeri’s expectations are nothing short of league domination this season. The squad that they possess is more than capable of challenging; Cristiano Ronaldo leads the attack with a mouth-watering five-star rating, while Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci shore up the defence at four-stars apiece.

There’s little room for improvement to the Zebre’s starting XI, with a choice between the old guard or trusting in youth. Dejan Kulusevski excites with the prospect of becoming a five-star player. Boasting true wonderkid potential, the 20-year-old Swede also starts the campaign with first-team-ready ratings.

One of the main areas of concern with the squad is the sheer number of players reaching the end of their careers. Using the financial backing of £22.8 million, adding strength with depth in attacking and defensive areas will surely help to continue their reign as the undisputed champions of Italy.

Inter (£20,835,428 Budget)           

Reputation: Four-and-a-half stars
Transfer Budget: £20,835,428
Wage Budget: £2,914,970
Key Players: Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martínez, Christian Eriksen

Undergoing a substantial shake-up in the transfer window, the largest sum was spent on Achraf Hakimi, with huge names like Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal being brought in on free transfers. Just as importantly, former club talisman Mauro Icardi finally got his move elsewhere.

Vying to dislodge Juventus’ grip on Serie A, Inter Milan finished one point behind the champions last season. After reinforcing the squad sufficiently, the club will hope to mount a solid title charge this season and reclaim the trophy, with it being over a decade since their last league success.

There’s a selection headache in attack for this team – squeezing in the talents of Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martínez, and Alexis Sanchez is both a blessing and a curse – which makes determining the best XI difficult.

Regarding the £20.8 million budget, the right back position has options, but both players are in the latter stages of their careers; without a suitable replacement lined up, it could cause problems. The same can be said for Samir Handanović in goal, who, at 36-years-old, will soon be in decline.

Milan (£15,992,104 Budget)

Reputation: Four-and-a-half stars
Transfer Budget: £15,992,104
Wage Budget: £1,727,759
Key Players: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Franck Kessié, Gianluigi Donnarumma

A sixth-place finish last season won’t be enough to satisfy the hunger of AC Milan. The expectation of their past glory haunts the team, but after another reshuffle of personnel, only time will tell if they can reclaim greatness.

Rossoneri predominantly invested in youth over the summer transfer window, bringing hot prospect Sandro Tonali in on-loan from Brescia, signing Norwegian Jens Petter Hauge permanently, and veteran Simon Kjaer joined the side.

Plenty of youth resides in the senior team, backed up by experience in key areas. A title run might be out of reach this season, but focusing on the development of players like Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matteo Gabbia, and Sandro Tonali could easily see the side claim a Champions League spot.

Signing the potential five-star player Tonali permanently should be a priority: as he’s on-loan, you could add a view-to-buy clause for the following season. A different approach could lean towards spending the £15.9 million budget on an up-and-coming striker as a back-up to Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Napoli (£15,900,720 Budget)

Reputation: Four-and-a-half stars
Transfer Budget: £15,900,720
Wage Budget: £2,274,354
Key Players: Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens

A disappointing seventh-place finish last campaign will leave a bitter taste after the Partenopei placed second in the 2018/19 season. Defensive frailties left the team one place short of European football.

Over the summer, young Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen signed from LOSC Lille for £63 million, after an impressive 18 goals and six assists last season. Osimhen joins as one of just four signings, with many more departing as Napoli looked to relieve their hefty wage bill.

Possessing a solid starting XI, the weakest area lies in defensive midfield, having sold Allan in the summer. Tiémoué Bakayoko was brought in on-loan, but this position remains a concern for future seasons. Napoli’s midfield wonderkid Eljif Elmas holds a potential five-star ability, so developing him and tying him to a long-term contract leaves one position taken care of for the coming years.

Several players are down to the last season of their contracts, most notably Arkadiusz Milik – selling him now could provide some extra funds to improve other areas. The youth academy has good facilities but lacks recruitment and coaching, so using your funds to upgrade these will prove very useful in the long-term.

Lazio (£15,809,337 Budget)

Reputation: Four-stars
Transfer Budget: £15,809,337       
Wage Budget: £1,656,030
Key Players: Sergej Milinković-Savić, Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto

Keeping their spending low, Lazio forked out transfer fees on two players in the summer window, spending £23.85 million, opting mainly to utilise free transfers and loans to add depth to the squad. Surplus to requirements, five players left on free transfers during the window, with the club taming their wage budget somewhat.

Holding other domestic rivals at bay, Lazio managed a fourth-place finish last season behind surprise package Atalanta, trailing only on goal difference. Adding to the Champions League spot attained, they placed above bitter rivals Roma for the first time since the 2011/12 season, securing the bragging rights in Rome.

Beginning the campaign with a reasonably strong starting XI, the areas for improvement are quite clear. The wingers and full-backs need to be upgraded to match the strong spine of the side, especially with the board demanding a Serie A win in the 2021/22 season.

On top of the board’s required title win, they also need you to break-even in the transfer market and work within the wage budget, making the Lazio job increasingly difficult. A lot of work needs to be done to get Lazio where they want to be; focusing on youth development, along with shrewd acquisitions in key areas, may satisfy the board financially.

All the transfer and wage budgets for Serie A teams on FM 21

Here’s the full table of every Serie A team’s transfer and wage budgets at the start of Football Manager 2021, listed in alphabetical order.

Now that you know all of the budgets for the Serie A teams in FM 21, which club will you choose to try to take to the top?