Legendary Inter defender Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Bergomi has spoken with Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia this afternoon on a range of topics and started by discussing the game and manager which he remembers most from his playing career, which he spent entirely at Inter.

“I remember one match above the rest, the won against Aston Villa in the UEFA Cup. We won 3-0 in the second leg after losing 2-0 in the first leg,” he began the interview.

“As for the manager I remember most, every manager gave me something but if I have to name just one, I will say Giovanni Trapattoni.”

He was then asked how long it took for him to notice that Javier Zanetti, who would go on to succeed him as captain upon his retirement, would turn into a top player.

“I was the first to welcome him and Sebastian Rambert. I still remember our first training session and you could not take the ball off of Zanetti. I understood then that someone in the team would be on the bench in place of him. He could play in defence and midfield and was a leader.”

Next he was asked what he thinks sets Inter apart from the rest of clubs in the world of football.

“Being an Inter player means a lot. Each team has its own DNA and their own values. Those of Inter are completely different.

“Wearing the captain’s armband meant being an example, transmitting values and a sense of belonging. The fans know what the player gives and they want to player to really sweat. The values of Inter are different and a bit particular, the DNA of Inter is unique.”

Bergomi proceeded to discuss one of Inter’s January transfer window acquisitions, Christian Eriksen, a player who has so far struggled to live up to expectations.

“I had identified some of his critical issues and Capello has said it too, despite being good on the ball, he does not like physical contact. When you are playing in the area of the field that he is you have to know how to intercept the ball. He knows how to deliver the ball and he is a good shooter, they are his best qualities.”

In conclusion Bergomi was asked if Il Fenomeno Ronaldo was the best teammate he ever played alongside.

“No. I would put Lothar Matthaus ahead of him. He was an absolute winner. I never seen anyone do what I saw Ronie do but in terms of completeness, Lothar was the greatest.”

In his 20 year career with Inter Bergomi made no less than 754 appearances across all competitions and he was the all-time record appearance holder for the club until Javier Zanetti surpassed him in 2011.

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Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has confirmed that they do not have the financial power to be able to sign Inter owned Mauro Icardi in the upcoming Summer transfer window.

Icardi is currently out on loan at reigning French champions Paris Saint Germain and a number of reports have suggested PSG are unsure about taking up their option to buy whilst other reports have stated Icardi does not wish to remain in the French capital and wants to return to Italy.

Reports in the media have linked Icardi with both Juventus and Napoli but Giuntoli has shot down reports which have suggested that the Stadio San Paolo club could bring in the 27-year-old Argentine forward.

“Everybody would want Icardi, but he is far beyond our financial reach,” he remarked in an interview with Italian broadcaster Sky Sport 24 earlier on today.

Whilst out on loan at PSG, Icardi has scored 20 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions to date. He has also provided four assists for his teammates.

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In an interview with Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia this afternoon, Inter vice president Javier Zanetti has spoken on a range of topics and firstly spoke on the current situation the world finds itself in due to the global Coronavirus pandemic.

“It is a dramatic situation all over the world because the virus is affecting many places. There is great concern and with us having Chinese owners we were among the first to realise it was very serious,” he began.

“Unfortunately, the virus has arrived in Italy and so many people have died, we must be very careful. Thinking about the season resuming is very difficult because until April 13 we must stay at home and that is the right thing to do.

“It is very difficult to think of a return to the field and those who will have to make decisions will have to be careful because health is at stake. It is not a switch that turns on and off, it will be necessary to see the psychological aspect of the players, I perceive their concern and that must be taken into account.

“I am at home, with my children who doing school work online. I work from here, I am in contact with the manager, Lele Oriali, the boys and the other directors. We are working to meet the needs of our partners who have focused on us.”

He was then asked if the idea of playing a three way tournament to decide the Serie A title winners is a viable hypothesis.

“I think finding a formula is complicated now, maybe there is more time for the Cup but you have to see when everything will be settled and be careful not to compromise next season. It is not easy to make a decision, we have to evaluate all the cards on the table.”

Zanetti then went on to discuss his career as a player and was asked if he could name his most memorable game.

“Choosing just one game is complex, I’ve played a lot of them. I remember my first game at Inter, it was a dream come true and I made in front of my family. The first time at San Siro was exciting, like the UEFA Cup final in which I was lucky enough to score.”

Next he reminisced about Inter’s Champions League final win in the 2009/10 season and what it meant to reach the final in the first place.

“It was a moment of great emotion. Getting to Madrid was like fulfilling a dream that we had been chasing for a long time. For me, who was 37 years old at the time, it was the last chance to win a trophy, it happened to me in the happiest moment of my career as I played my 700th game with Inter that day. It was an unforgettable joy for the fans.”

Next he shared who the toughest opponent he ever came up against was.

“I have faced many great players, I say Messi in the Champions League semi-finals in 2009/10. I remember a match with Juventus, when Simoni put me on Zidane and taking the ball away from him was very complicated; it was a game in which I was concentrated for 90. It was a significant game on a personal level, we won 1-0. ”

Zanetti then proceeded to discuss what he thinks distinguishes Inter from other football clubs.

“For me, Inter means family, when I arrived I immediately identified myself with the club. The club is resilient because it always falls and rises again. It is something that is part of our DNA. Inter also has a lot of social responsibility and we have certain values and it is important to transmit them.”

Zanetti was then asked what he thinks of Lautaro Martinez.

“I’m glad to talk about Lautaro because when we signed him after we followed him for some time. At the time he was the most promising player in Argentina, talking to Milito we said he could have an important future.

“He is a boy who has grown a lot; he is a strong point of reference in the national team. He is happy at Inter and I hope he will stay for a long time.”

In conclusion he was asked if Il Fenomeno Ronaldo was the best teammate he played with during his career.

“Ronaldo had a great class, I was also lucky enough to play with Messi. They are the two strongest I’ve ever played with.”

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Premier League clubs Manchester City and Chelsea are both willing to pay the €111 million release clause in Lautaro Martinez’s contract with Inter according to a report from Spanish news outlet Sport.

The 22-year-old Argentine striker has been very strongly linked with Barcelona in recent weeks and months and it has been widely reported that the Blaugrana club are not keen on paying the release clause and would instead prefer to carry out a player(s) plus cash deal.

Despite the Premier League duo showing an interest, Barcelona remain convinced that they have done enough and now everything depends on Lautaro himself.

Lautaro joined Inter in the Summer of 2018 in a circa €20 million deal from Superliga Argentina side Racing Club and he has since went on to make 66 appearances across all competitions for the club in which he has scored 26 goals and provided a total of five assists for his Nerazzurri teammates.

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Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho is not one of the players Inter manager Antonio Conte has his eyes on, at least according to a report from Italian news outlet CalcioMercato.com.

Reports in the past few days and weeks have suggested that Inter could move for the Brazilian attacking midfielder but this report states that Conte has other targets in mind and has already told the club’s management about who he would like brought in to the club in the coming months.

Coutinho is currently out on loan at Bayern Munich and it has been widely reported that they will not take up their option to sign him and thus he will end up at Barcelona but the reigning Spanish champions wish to offload him.

Inter’s arch rivals Juventus have also been linked with the former Liverpool player but the report goes on to state that he is not a first choice for the Bianconeri club.

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Barcelona could pay Inter close to what they did for Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Lautaro Martinez according to a report from Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo.

The Blaugrana club signed Ibrahimovic from Inter for a sum of €69.5 million plus Samuel Eto’o in the Summer of 2009 and could conduct a similar deal for Lautaro, the report explains.

Barcelona could send Inter around the same amount of cash and would be willing to add midfielder Arturo Vidal, a player who has been strongly linked with Inter for some time, on top.

Lautaro has already given the green light over a move to the Nou Camp with him having been offered a seven year contract with an annual salary of €7 million the report goes on.

This season Lautaro, who has a contract with Inter until 2023, has made 31 appearances across all competitions to date in which he has scored 16 goals and provided four assists for his Nerazzurri teammates.

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Cagliari wish to keep a hold of Radja Nainggolan past the end of this season and have two ideas about how they could do this according to a report in today’s print edition of Tuttosport.

The 31-year-old Belgian joined the Sardinian club on a season long loan from Inter and has managed to get things back on track after a difficult season with Inter last season both on and off of the field.

Cagliari are paying 10 months of Nainggolan’s salary as part of this deal and could try and have the loan extended but they would have to take on the former Roma player’s salary in order for this to happen.

Alternatively, Cagliari could just try and acquire him outright and the report from the Turin based newspaper points out that they will receive €25 million from Inter as part of the deal done last Summer for Nicolo Barella. If they buy him outright though he will have to drop his salary demands.

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Inter have the best wages to turnover ratio amongst the traditional top clubs in Serie A this season according to a report in today’s print edition of Tuttosport.

Inter’s annual wage bill equates to 26% of the club’s most recent annual turnover of €417 million which would suggest Inter’s annual wage bill sits at €108.4 million.

AC Milan have the worst wages to turnover ratio among the big clubs in the league with their wage bill equating to no less than 38% of their turnover from this past year. The Rossoneri club have a wage bill of €80 million against a turnover of €206 million.

Inter’s arch-rivals and current reigning Italian champions Juventus have the second worst ratio with their wages equalling 38% of their €621 million turnover.

Napoli have the third worst ratio with wages making up 32% of their turnover whilst Roma have the best ratio behind Inter with their wages equating to 28% of their annual turnover.

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All Serie A players could be screened for Coronavirus prior to the season resuming according to a report in today’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport.

A number of Serie A players and staff at Serie A clubs have tested positive for the virus including Juventus’ Daniele Rugani, Sampdoria’s Manolo Gabbiadini and Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic.

Before the season can resume, there cannot be any positive cases across the league and in order to find this out all players and staff could be screened and upon being tested they could then be monitored afterwards.

It remains a complete mystery as to whether or not the season will even resume but one thing appears certain and that is that health must come first regardless of whether it does or does not.

The league has been on hold for a number of weeks now as a direct consequence of the global pandemic and there has been no shortage of speculation on when the season might be able to resume.

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A report in today’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport has summarised the main concerns that Serie A clubs against the idea of resuming the season have.

Serie A has been on hold for a number of weeks now due to the ongoing global Coronavirus pandemic and it remains to be seen if the season will resume at all.

A number of clubs, such as Lazio, are reportedly very keen to resume playing and finishing the season one way or another but a number of clubs are against the idea of resuming the season and there is no shortage of reasons as to why they feel this way.

One reason is that teams are concerned that players will be running at an increased risk of sustaining injury as they will have to play so many games in quick succession in order to finish the season in time to not affect future seasons.

The issue of contracts, particularly those that will expire on June 30, is a real concern for many clubs. Many clubs will lose players they have on loan or will have players walk free.

Moreover, clubs would require more time for things like presenting their budgets and their licences for the following season. UEFA licences and Financial Fair Play will also need looked into and modified.

A number of clubs also have great uncertainty about the transfer window. FIFA have proposed the idea of a six month long window between June and January but it has not convinced many clubs.

Clubs are also concerned that given how late the season would finish, if it does, players would only have a short break before having to start the new season without getting to have a traditional pre-season period.

The report also states that clubs are against the idea of the season resuming as they will have to throw any new signings in at the deep end too.

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