Inter Milan have reportedly increased their contract offer for Paris Saint-Germain winger Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is reportedly a target for Liverpool and Chelsea and will be a free agent once the summer transfer window opens.

The Argentinian is free to sign a pre-contract with any club during the January window, and according to Corriere dello Sport (h/t the Daily Star‘s Jamie Anderson), the Nerazzurri are desperate to land their man.

Per Anderson, the Sunday Times previously reported Lavezzi’s representatives held talks with Chelsea in London, while Calciomercato claimed Reds manager Jurgen Klopp had an interest in the Argentina international, who would present tremendous value.

Lavezzi may not be the world-class option either team would love to add, but as a free agent, there’s no denying he would make a great signing. The former Napoli star has all the experience in the world, and at the age of 30, he still has several top years left.

He’s become a depth option in Paris since Angel Di Maria joined the club from Manchester United, but he remains a valuable and talented player who is still a big part of Argentina’s national team. Here’s a look at some of his highlights:

The veteran still has quick feet, dazzling dribbling skills and the raw pace to be a handful to defend out wide, and he still has a good eye for goal as well. Lavezzi isn’t restricted to hugging the touchline―he can move all over the attacking third and does most of his damage when he’s allowed to drift across the pitch.

A return to Italy has always looked likely, with Lavezzi playing some of the best football of his career with Napoli. Alessandro Moggi, an associate of his agent, previously told La Domenica Sportiva Lavezzi “missed” Serie A, via Anderson.

Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones also believes Inter are the favourites to land his signature:

The Nerazzurri need to upgrade their attack as soon as possible, as their hot start to the 2015-16 campaign didn’t last, and the team finds itself in danger of falling out of the title race completely. Ideally, they would add Lavezzi in January, as opposed to waiting until he becomes a free agent.

Liverpool also need some quality in the attacking third, as well as wing help. Klopp is more likely to focus on younger players as he tries to build the Liverpool side, but as a free agent, Lavezzi would be an incredible capture who could start immediately and add depth and experience to his team.

There are other options available, however, and missing out on Lavezzi would not be a disaster.

Mario Balotelli Return?

According to Calciomercato (h/t the Daily Express‘ Uche Amako), AC Milan are considering cutting Mario Balotelli’s loan short.

The Italian striker joined his former club on loan from Liverpool during the summer as a vital depth option, but he has missed the bulk of the 2015-16 campaign through injury. The 25-year-old recently celebrated his return against Fiorentina, but reportedly Milan are still considering other avenues.

A Super Mario return would certainly present an interesting scenario for the Reds, who have struggled mightily in front of goal and need more bodies in the attacking third. Few will have thought Balotelli could be the solution.

When he’s at his best, his talent is undeniable, as you can see in this video:

Balotelli was never even close to his best with Liverpool, however, and his time at Anfield was as frustrating as it was unproductive. How much of that had to do with former boss Brendan Rodgers is debatable, although Super Mario never looked like he was really trying.

Perhaps Klopp might be able to finally unlock the real Balotelli, but an immediate return to Anfield remains doubtful. As mentioned before, Balotelli has only just returned from injury―it would be odd for Milan to spend all this time waiting for him to get healthy, only to decide to ship him back to the Premier League upon his return.

ESPN FC’s David Amoyal fully believes he’ll have the opportunity to show himself in the second half of the season:

Milan need Balotelli, as they have little depth in the attacking third, even with Luiz Adriano staying at the club, per Sky Sports’ Paulo Freitas. The former Shakhtar Donetsk man has been a disappointment since moving to Italy, so Balotelli will have every chance of passing him in the pecking order if he can stay healthy.

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“It’s certainly a fundamental game and we must continue our winning streak,” Paulo Dybala told Sky Sport Italia just before Juventus’ match against AS Roma began (h/t Football Italia).

The striker was clearly aware of the significance of the fixture, pitting two of this season’s Serie A title rivals against one another in Turin.

He would ultimately settle the tie with a well-taken second-half goal, handing opposition coach Luciano Spalletti the first defeat of his new tenure and helping the Bianconeri gain some revenge for their loss to the side from the Italian capital back in August.

The home team’s 11th consecutive victory means they remain just two points behind league leaders Napoli, while the 1-0 final scoreline saw goalkeeper Gigi Buffon earn his 13th clean sheet in all competitions.

Dybala has now scored 14 goals in 2015/16 and further cemented his place as Juve’s most decisive forward. However, despite boss Massimiliano Allegri praising the former Palermo man after the final whistle, the coach is confident that there is even more to come from the 22-year-old if he works on certain skills.

“Dybala produced another great performance after a quiet first 20 minutes for him. When the game looked tight and deadlocked, he still pulled out a wonderful goal,” Allegri said at his post-match press conference.

“He could always improve with his right foot, occupying defences more with his movement and upping the tempo of our play when we need it.”

That was something the Bianconeri clearly lacked against AS Roma, as they struggled to create any real threat despite statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com showing they enjoyed 55.8 percent of possession.

In a tough contest, some key decisions would eventually decide the result and perhaps Allegri’s choice of Patrice Evra in place of the in-form Alex Sandro was chief among them. The Brazilian had been a key figure in recent weeks, scoring his first goal for the club last weekend against Udinese after a string of excellent performances.

Yet he dropped to the bench on Sunday night in favour of his French team-mate, and Evra would deliver a consummate display of his own, completely nullifying Roma’s right flank and ensuring Mohamed Salah had little impact upon the game.

Marking the Egyptian winger diligently throughout, the graphic in the tweet below highlights the contribution of the Juventus left-back as he won two tackles and an aerial dual, also adding two interceptions and one blocked cross.

He also completed 40 of his 43 pass attempts (93 percent) and recovered the ball on no fewer than six occasions, including once when the ball subsequently broke to Paul Pogba, who in turn picked out Dybala for the only goal of the game.

Yet while Evra was clearly superb, Juventus did miss the attacking impetus Sandro can provide, and a disappointing substitute appearance from Juan Cuadrado did not help in that regard.

Sent on by Allegri in the 65th minute when the score was still 0-0, the Chelsea loanee did little to break the deadlock despite numerous opportunities.

According to WhoScored, the Colombian was given the ball an impressive 25 times, managing two completed dribbles and one shot but failing to create any scoring opportunities. Sadly, he was arguably less effective going forward than Stephan Lichtsteiner, the much more defensively minded man he replaced.

Juventus will need more from Cuadrado in the coming weeks as they face difficult matches against Inter Milan, Napoli and Bayern Munich, but Paul Pogba told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia) that is true of the entire squad.

The midfielder said that his side “are doing much better, but we are still nobody, we’ve achieved nothing, we are not top of the table and therefore we must continue like this.”

Indeed, as reigning champions, they must look to defend their title and progress in both the Coppa Italia and Europe.

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Juventus kept pace with Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday following a 1-0 home victory over Roma in Matchday 21.

Paulo Dybala scored the only goal of the match, finding the back of the net in the 77th minute.

Juventus were having a hard time breaking down the Roma defence for much of the match. Two of their most dynamic playmakers came to the rescue as midfielder Paul Pogba delivered a pass into the box to the feet of Dybala. The 22-year-old forward then beat Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny at the far post.

BeIN Sports USA provided a replay of the winning goal:   

The result was more than deserved for Juventus, who were the better side on the pitch. Roma were far from abject, but they’re still finding their footing under new manager Luciano Spalletti. Spalletti only took over on Jan. 14, so he’s still experimenting with his side somewhat to see what works and what doesn’t. And a match against the reigning Serie A champions isn’t exactly the most optimal of testing grounds.

Entering Sunday, Roma ranked fourth in Serie A in average possession (56.4 percent), per WhoScored.com. Emphasizing possession against Juve would’ve been a recipe for disaster—a point Spalletti clearly understood as he put together his lineup and tactical plan.

He spoke about how he wants to be more proactive with his tactics but knows adjustments are necessary against certain opponents.

“Our approach is the same as always, to exploit our potential and our quality and create space for us to play in,” said Spalletti, per Goal’s Stefan Coerts. “We’ll look to take the game to them and give it our best shot against a team we know are enjoying a great run of form and have shown they’re a great side. That situation is not going to change unless the other team is very good as well, and by that I mean everyone around us here, starting with the club itself.”

Spalletti opted for a counter-attacking style, using Daniele De Rossi, Kostas Manolas and Antonio Rudiger at centre-back in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

The strategy proved successful through the first half. Juventus enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but registered just three shots on target. Szczesny didn’t have a lot to do, as his defenders repelled most of Juve’s attacks before they could get too deep into the final third.

Roma did get a bit lucky in the 39th minute as midfielder Miralem Pjanic handled the ball in the box, which soccer analytics expert Michael Caley argued was intentional:

The official missed the handball, which would’ve otherwise resulted in a penalty for Juventus. Not only were Juve denied the penalty, but Pjanic ruined any other chances they could’ve created in the 18-yard box.

Juventus supporters will also take umbrage with the referee’s decision to give De Rossi a yellow card in the ninth minute. As the two were standing off the ball, De Rossi appeared to get a subtle strike into Mario Mandzukic’s lower back before stamping on the left foot of the Juve forward.

Mandzukic then earned himself a yellow card in the 50th minute for putting an elbow into the neck of Rudiger. A card was warranted, but the Croatian striker disagreed, per Bleacher Report’s Adam Digby:

With this being such a big match, emotions were running high for both sides. BeIN Sports’ Matteo Bonetti assumed the powder keg was bound to blow eventually:

Tempers calmed down following the half-time interval. The match itself remained the same into the second half as Juventus probed the Roma defense, looking for the tiniest of windows with which to create an effort on goal.

Juve left wing-back Patric Evra nearly gave his team a 1-0 lead in the 69th minute. Standing to the left of goal in the 18-yard box, he had a tough angle to beat Szczesny, and the Frenchman fired his shot right at the Polish ‘keeper, who made the save.

It looked like that was going to be Juventus’ best chance of the match before Dybala broke the deadlock. WhoScored.com noted how integral the Argentine striker has been for his club of late:

Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri might be somewhat critical of his team’s work in the final third. In general, he’ll have little else to complain about, as the club won their 11th straight league match. United States women’s national team member Yael Averbuch argued the patience exerted by Juventus earlier in the season is paying off in a big way:

Juventus get Inter Milan next, with Inter looking to rebound following Sunday’s draw with Carpi. They’ll have a chance to close the gap on Napoli when the two sides clash on Feb. 13, and 10 days later is their highly anticipated Champions League fixture with Bayern Munich.

The road gets a bit easier for Spalletti as he looks to leave his imprint on the Roma squad. The club have matches against Frosinone, Sassuolo, Sampdoria and Carpi before facing off with Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.

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Liverpool have reportedly entered into negotiations with FC Lorient over a possible deal for their young left-back, Raphael Guerreiro.

As reported by Calcionews24.com (h/t Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star) the Reds have apparently started “preliminary talks” over the 22-year-old, who has been very impressive for the French outfit. It’s also noted that aside from the Reds, Napoli, Inter Milan, Roma and Juventus are all tracking the versatile full-back.

With just 18 months remaining on his current contract, Guerreiro could well be available for a knockdown price. Here’s what he could potentially offer:

He plays a position in which the Reds are pretty short currently. Alberto Moreno remains the first choice to fill the slot, but aside from him, Liverpool do lack proven quality. Jose Enrique is experienced but out of favour, while the talented Brad Smith has a bright future but is yet to be tested at the very highest level.

As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, while there may be some question marks over his defensive work, Moreno is a threat going forward:

Guerreiro could be an even better player than the Spaniard.

Of course, he’s not been tested against elite opposition on a regular basis quite yet, but he’s a footballer who has all the attributes required to be a top full-back. Most notably, he relishes both the attacking and defensive sides of the game.

The transfer would certainly make sense for the Reds. Not only would Moreno have some stern competition for his spot in the side, but the Portuguese would be another exciting, energetic player to add to the squad.

If Liverpool can get this one over the line, beating the aforementioned illustrious names in the process, it’d be smart business.

Reds Reportedly Ready to Up Alex Teixeira Bid

According to Adam Shergold, Dominic King and Simon Jones of MailOnline, Liverpool are willing to increase their initial offer for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Alex Teixeira.

“Liverpool’s starting bid for Teixeira is £24.5 million but they are willing to up this to nearer the Ukrainian club’s valuation of nearer £30 million,” the piece notes. It’s also suggested the Reds are likely to face stern competition from Chelsea in an attempt to sign the Brazilian, who has emerged as one of the most exciting players on the continent.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe thinks the 26-year-old could offer a lot at Anfield, although his purchase wouldn’t be good news for Liverpool’s other forwards:

It’s a lot of money to spend on a player in the January window and for Liverpool on a player who isn’t too dissimilar to what they already have. Granted, Teixeira has found a ruthless streak in front of goal this season with 22 goals in 15 league appearances, but he’s primarily a player who plays off the centre-forward.

In Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, the Reds do already have footballers in that mould.

Still, Eastern European football expert John Bradley thinks the Shakhtar man would be a big hit on Merseyside:

Liverpool may not desperately need another No. 10, but manager Jurgen Klopp may see this as an ideal time to steal a march in pursuit of a wonderful player. After all, Chelsea are in a rut in the Premier League currently, and the Reds—even though they may struggle to secure a UEFA Champions League spot—look like a more appealing option.

Shakhtar do nurture their star players superbly, with Willian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Douglas Costa and Fernandinho all impressing after making big-money moves elsewhere.

Teixeira seems capable of having a similar sort of impact, but as has been the case with all of the aforementioned players, the Ukrainian side usually get full value for their major assets.

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Contrary to recent rumours linking him with a move away from the club, Pedro is reportedly happy at Chelsea.

David Woods of the Daily Star reported on Thursday the Spaniard is seeking to leave the club in January, but according to Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague he is not only happy to remain at Stamford Bridge but can’t move to another club having played for Barcelona and Chelsea already this season:

The 28-year-old has struggled to make an impact with the Blues since arriving in the summer, accruing just three goals and as many assists in all competitions.

However, the winger remains an excellent and experienced player from his time with Barca and Spain’s national side, so Chelsea should be aiming to keep him for some time to come.

After all, though he’s had a difficult five months, he’s hardly come into an ideal situation.

Even for experienced players, moving to another club, league and country can prove challenging—particularly when they’ve previously been a one-club man—and with the team struggling and a negative atmosphere surrounding, he’s not arrived in an environment conducive to helping him hit the ground running.

News that he wants to stay is encouraging, and the Blues should be prepared to keep him at least one season to show his true colours.

Chelsea have also been linked with Valencia defender Aymen Abdennour. According to Ignacio Lujan of Spanish outlet Fichajes (h/t Metro‘s Mark Brus) the centre-back has struggled with Los Che since arriving from Monaco in the summer and could be available to the Blues for £19.7 million.

Per football writer David Cartlidge, the Tunisian has recently been dropped by Valencia boss Gary Neville and could be on his way out of the club already:

Though Chelsea certainly need to make strides to shore up their defence—they have already conceded more this season than they did in the entirety of the last—the 26-year-old may not be the answer.

At the price reported and with serious question marks over his ability on the pitch and attitude off it, Abdennour represents a serious gamble and a potentially volatile element that should not be thrown into the mixing pot at Stamford Bridge.

The Blue may also find stiff competition for the signature of Paris Saint-Germain star Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is out of contract in the summer and attracting widespread interest.

Per Sky in Italy (h/t Sky Sports), Chelsea are among the interested parties. However, according to Lorenzo Bettoni of Calciomercato, the Argentinian is keen on a return to Italy with AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus pursuing him.

Per the report his agent Alejandro Mazzoni told Italian journalists:

I’d like to know his future too. We are working on it but he has six months left on his contract with PSG and he won’t definitely leave his club in the current transfer window.

He could join Inter, because he likes Italian football and the club is interested in signing him, but there are only a few sides that can afford to pay his wages.

He’s not seeking to sign with specific club and he’ll consider Inter’s offer. Milan and Juve have also set sights on him. When a player is available for free in the summer, everyone wants to know more about him.

I speak a lot with Piero Ausilio [Inter’s Sporting Director] as we’re close friends.

Lavezzi is a reliable performer and hard-working winger who could make a useful addition to any side, particularly on a free transfer.

However, perhaps because of his poor record of contributing goals—he has scored just twice and assisted once this season—football writer Scott Nicholls is unimpressed with Chelsea’s reported interest:

Though he’s not a truly marquee player and he may not have a dramatic impact on the Blues’ squad, Chelsea could nevertheless do a lot worse than signing him for nothing.

According to the Daily Mail (h/t the Telegraph) midfield enforcer Nemanja Matic “is considering leaving” the club.

The Serbian was one of the most important players in Chelsea’s team last season, with his imposing physicality, excellent reading of the game and accomplished technique making him a perfect foil for the creative Cesc Fabregas in their double pivot in midfield.

However, Matic has been one of the club’s most under-performing players in this campaign. Football journalist Rafael Hernandez noted the contrast in performance:

As with Pedro, Matic has proven himself to be an excellent player, though, and he deserves the chance to build back his form and confidence.

If he’s given time and still can’t return to the form he once showed then moving him on is a good decision, but there’s no reason he can’t do so if allowed the opportunity.

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