Chelsea are planning a massive Serie A transfer raid in the upcoming Summer transfer window according to a report from British news outlet The Evening Standard.
The Premier League club could spend in excess of £200 million (approximately €215 million) on three Serie A players with the report explaining that Inter’s Lautaro Martinez, Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic and AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma are all on their radar.
Lautaro has a €111 million release clause in his current Inter contract and it has been widely reported that Barcelona and Real Madrid are both also interested in signing him. Moreover, reports have suggested that Inter will not let him go for anything less than the release clause.
Pjanic, who has fallen down the pecking order at Juventus this season under the management of Maurizio Sarri, could cost the Stamford Bridge club around €60 million whilst Donnarumma, who has long been linked with a move away from AC Milan, could cost them as much as €50 million.
Inter could make a move for Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen in the upcoming Summer transfer window according to a report in today’s print edition of Tuttosport.
The experienced Belgian national team centre back’s current contract with the north London club is due to expire at the end of the current campaign thus meaning Inter could acquire him on a free transfer if he does not put pen to paper on a new deal before it expires.
Vertonghen would add a great level of experience and quality to an already strong Inter backline which contains the likes of Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar and the highly promising Alessandro Bastoni.
The 32-year-old, who has also played for Ajax during his career, is one of a number of centre backs to have been linked with Inter in recent days and weeks.
Hellas Verona’s Marash Kumbulla has also been linked as has River Plate prospect Lucas Martinez Quarta. Lazio’s Francesco Acerbi is also on Inter’s radar according to some reports too.
In an interview with Milan based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, legendary Inter defender Marco Materazzi has named Il Fenomeno Ronaldo as the best player he ever played against during his playing career.
The Brazilian tormented defenders with his frightening pace, physique and tricky for years for the likes of Barcelona, Inter and Real Madrid in particular and the form he showed then has led to the belief amongst many that he is one of the best players of all time.
Materazzi and Ronaldo were not at Inter together but got to face off against one another on several occasions during their careers and Materazzi said: “I was lucky enough to play against all the strongest players. I think the best was Ronaldo, the Brazilian one. He was very strong and very fast.”
Materazzi then went on to back Inter president Steven Zhang who recently came in for a lot of criticism from some due to the way he took to social media and hit out at Lega Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino for his handling of the situation in the early days of the Coronavirus outbreak.
“I am on his side, unlike many who have criticised him.”
Danilo D’Ambrosio was the subject of a live question and answer session which was broadcast across Inter’s socials media channels and he spoke on a range of different topics, starting with why he wears the number 33 shirt.
“I chose 33 because my favourite number is 3. When I arrived at Inter obviously this number wasn’t available because it belonged to the great Giacinto Facchetti, so I chose to add another 3.”
D’Ambrosio proceeded to discuss some of his idols and his and his son’s love for the club.
“My idol, due to his passion, the way he played and presented himself throughout his career is Zanetti.
“My wife has always followed me on my journey and now our passion has been passed on to our children: the eldest has been coming to the stadium ever since he was very young, he’s become very fond of Inter and knows all the players which is impressive.
“I’m happy that he’s mine and Inter’s biggest fan, and I aim to make him suffer as little as possible! Other than me, the first three players he met were Lautaro Martinez, Lukaku and Gagliardini.”
He then went on to discuss which was the most exciting match he has been involved in in all his years with Inter.
“The most exciting match since I arrived was the one we played against Lazio at the Olimpico when we won 3-2 and I scored from a corner which started Inter’s comeback and allowed us to return to the Champions League.”
He also spoke on the memorable goalline clearance that he made on the final day of last season against Empoli, an action which helped Inter toward victory and achieve Champions League qualification.
“Time stopped before that ball hit the crossbar! That image is imprinted in my memory, I was hoping that Caputo would cross it instead of shoot because I knew that I could then somehow stop them scoring.
“So, when I saw the ball going towards his teammates I tried with all I could to push it away, and luckily, or skilfully, the crossbar helped me out and they didn’t score.”
Inter teammate Milan Skriniar also sent in a question and D’Ambrosio then spoke on how it is to play alongside the Slovakian international, who is widely regarded as one of the world’s top defenders.
“It’s great to share the pitch with him, he’s a serious guy, a professional in every sense and a superb player who can become a great champion. I hope that’s what he achieves.”
Next D’Ambrosio spoke on his role on the pitch and also spoke on how he tends to score goals from corners.
“Through his advice and his work in training, Conte makes it easier for you to put what you’re trying into practice on the pitch, we try a lot of different things in training, so for me playing either as one of a back three or as one of the wing-backs doesn’t make a big difference, I know what to do.
“The way of reading the game changes but I don’t mind either position. Oriali is someone who used to serve Inter, there’s a direct and sincere relationship with him, just like with everyone, I’ve always respected him, I had the pleasure of working with him in the National Team and then here at Inter.
“Plenty of goals from corners? It’s not just instinct, it’s more determination that drives me because I look at how the opposing team line up for corners and then I choose the run I’m going to make, so when my teammate takes the corner I’m already making my run along the route I’ve decided, and if the ball comes my way then there’s a 90% chance I score.
“All of my Inter shirts I’ve scored in are special to me, I’ve got all of them in my wardrobe, every goal I’ve scored across my career with Inter is special, because since I’m not an attacker every time I score it’s a great emotion, especially since I became a father, I feel I have to give something more.”
He moved on by discussing his dream five a side team of players, all barring one of whom has played for Inter.
“If I could choose retired players too, I’d have Handanovic in goal, he’s one of the best keepers in Europe, in defence I’d go for Cannavaro and Zanetti, Pirlo and Iniesta in midfield and then Ronaldo “El Fenomeno” up top.”
He also spoke on what he does before games.
“Before stepping out onto the pitch I always tell myself that I have to give my all and that I have to end the game without any regrets.”
He concluded by speaking on the current Coronavirus situation.
“My wife and I tried to explain to our eldest son why he can’t go to school anymore, he asks a lot of questions, asking why he can’t play with his friends, so we explained the situation to him.
“He knows the word Coronavirus, he doesn’t know what it is but he knows that it’s something preventing him from living the life he had up until a few weeks ago.
“We told him to stay calm because everything will go back to normal, he’ll go back to school and play with his friends, and I have to say that he’s a very smart boy and he understands the messages we’re explaining to him.”
Francesco Acerbi’s newly appointed agent Federico Pastorello has admitted he is unaware of any interest in his client despite multiple reports linking the Lazio centre back with clubs.
In the past few days Inter and Chelsea in particular have been linked with the 32-year-old who is having one of, if not, the best seasons of his playing career.
In an interview with Italian news outlet LaLazioSiamoNoi.it, Pastorello said: “I read about Chelsea and Inter, but I don’t know much about it. What I can certainly say is that Francesco is a defender who could play for any club in Europe.”
The report from the same source goes on to state that Lazio do not wish to sell the former Sassuolo defender. He is currently under contract until the end of the 2022/23 season with an annual salary of €1.5 million but Lazio could offer him a new contract with an increased salary of €2.5 million.
Acerbi has made 33 appearances across all competitions to date this term. In just over 2900 minutes on the field, Acerbi, who is a six time Italian international, has contributed two goals and also provided two assists for teammates.
Inter owned defender Valentino Lazaro has shared his belief that the decision to postpone the European Championship’s which were due to take place this Summer to next Summer is the right decision.
In a meeting with their 55 member federations among other people earlier on this week, European football’s governing body UEFA announced that they would be postponing the tournament in order to allow domestic leagues and cups and continental competitions finish.
“The decision was foreseeable and I think it is the right choice. At this extraordinarily difficult moment for us, the focus is not on football, but on health, cohesion and our society,” he told Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung.
Lazaro’s Austria have qualified for the tournament and are in a group with the Netherlands, Ukraine with their final group member to be determined by the playoffs, which will now take place at some point June. They will begin their European Championship campaign against the as yet undetermined opponent in Bucharest, Romania.
The 23-year-old spent the first half of this season with Inter but was loaned out to Premier League side Newcastle United for the second half of the campaign. All in all, he has made 16 appearances, in which he has scored one goal and provided two assists.
In today’s print edition, Spanish newspaper Estadio Deportivo has speculated over how the European competition schedule could look like in order to finish them before the end of June.
Both the Champions League and Europa League, like domestic leagues and competitions across Europe, are currently on hold due to the global Coronavirus pandemic and it still remains to be seen when the tournaments will resume.
European football’s governing body have provisionally moved the finals of the tournaments to June 27 and June 24 respectively so with those dates in mind, Estadio Deportivo have pieced together a potential schedule that could be followed.
The last 16 stage in each competition will be concluded over May 19 and May 20 with the exception of Inter, Getafe, Sevilla and Roma.
All four clubs never played a first leg of their Europa League last 16 ties so their first leg will take place on May 19 anf the second legs will take place on May 22.
The quarter final first legs will take place the following midweek across May 26 and May 27 and the return legs will take place the following midweek on June 2 and June 3.
The semi final first legs will take place on June 9 and June 10 and the second legs will be played on June 16 and June 17.
Inter have sparked an interest in signing Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto according to a report from Italian news outlet CalcioMercato.com.
The Spaniard has been absolutely integral in Lazio’s fairy tale campaign which sees them fighting it out for the Serie A title and his form could earn him a move elsewhere.
The 27-year-old former Sevilla man has five goals and 14 assists in 30 appearances across all competitions to date this term and he is not the only Lazio player that Inter have their eye on.
Reports elsewhere in the media have long suggested that Inter are also interested in signing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic but he will come far from cheap with it understood that Lazio president Claudio Lotito wants around €120 million for him.
Other reports have meanwhile linked Inter with a move for Lazio centre back Francesco Acerbi, who is in the midst of one of, if not, his best seasons in his career.
Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian football federation, has reiterated that he cannot rule out the possibility of the Italian football season having to carry on into July.
Italian football, like almost every other European league, is currently on hold due to the global Coronavirus pandemic and whilst all 55 member associations committed to concluding their domestic campaigns by the end of June at a meeting with European football’s governing body UEFA earlier this week, Gravina has admitted this might not be possible.
There are some clubs who still have 12 Serie A games to play whilst others have 13 left and a number of clubs have cup competition commitments too which only makes things even harder when it comes to trying to work out a schedule.
“When the European Championship’s were moved to 2021, we set ourselves a series of dates to understand when to start. The idea is to start on May 3 because with a few midweek games we can end on June 30, but we can not rule out playing into July,” Gravina remarked in an interview with Italian radio station Radio Punto Nuovo earlier on today.
“It is not easy to schedule all the matches. We will work on it and put in motion all possible mechanisms with the necessary measures by the government and all the competent bodies.”
He then spoke on the possibility of the league having to start with games played behind closed doors.
“We can not exclude it. The hypothesis we are working on is an initial phase behind closed doors until we have guarantees related to the protection of the health of the players. Football must get out of this complicated situation.”
In conclusion he discussed how television rights have been affected by the recent events.
“Television rights are fundamental and there is a very significant amount of money attached to them. We will do everything possible to ensure that we comply with the contractual clauses.”
