Petko Hristov, a 27-year-old Bulgarian centre-back and Spezia's captain last season, is expected to leave the club after five seasons, a period that included a six-month spell at Venezia. Lugano, which finished third in the Swiss Super League and qualified for the Conference League, views Hristov as a replacement for Antonios Papadopoulos. The Swiss club intends to pursue Hristov after the sale of Papadopoulos is completed. Papadopoulos might be sold to a club in Spain for approximately three million euros. However, Spezia has not yet appointed a new sporting director to manage negotiations. Hristov is considered one of the players expected to leave Spezia following its relegation, partly due to his high salary for Serie C. According to Transfermarkt data, he is valued at just under one million euros. The Bulgarian international has 22 caps for his country, and his contract with Spezia runs until 2028. Deportivo Alavés has also been mentioned in connection with the player.