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Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As usual, there are many exciting stories from the rumour mill to read. So, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian top flight.
Barcelona want to offload 2 Inter Milan targets
The Catalans have a fairly stacked midfield following the arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax. The Dutch starlet joined the La Liga champions in a massive €75 million deal. He had an impressive spell with Ajax last season, amassing 31 appearances. De Jong also played a key role in Ajax's magical Champions League run.
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However, Barcelona now have a very tight competition in their midfield. Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo, Sergio Busquets and De Jong will all have to battle for starting spots next season. On the other hand, Sergi Roberto, Rafinha Alcantara and Philippe Coutinho could all play as central midfielders.
Thus Barcelona would need to free up some space. According to a report from Spain, Barcelona are willing to sell either Rakitic or Vidal. Vidal struggled to earn playing time since he joined the Catalans. Nevertheless, the Chilean had some excellent moments with Barcelona.
The 32-year-old made 33 appearances and was directly involved in impressive 10 goals in La Liga. His performance against Liverpool in the Champions League semifinal also received praises. The report also states that Inter Milan are interested in the former Bayern Munich star.
The Italian club have confirmed that Radja Nainggolan is not part of their plans. They reportedly want Vidal to replace the Belgian. Rakitic, on the other hand, remained a Barcelona regular last season, appearing 29 times as a starter. The World Cup finalist also refuses to leave Barcelona, despite the club wanting to cash in on him.
Rakitic's contract talks have stalled so far, and AS claims that Inter Milan have expressed their interest in the Croatian. The Serie A club have been linked with Rakitic for some time, but the player's desire to remain at Barcelona has made things complicated.
Tottenham set to table club-record bid to secure Paulo Dybala
The Juventus star has recently been linked with a move to the Premier League. Dybala's future has been uncertain since Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at Turin. He was Juventus' top scorer with 22 goals in the 2017/18 season. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old managed to bag just 5 goals last season.
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri benched him several times. However, Dybala's future has remained in question, more so after Juventus having appointed Maurizio Sarri as their new manager. According to a report, Tottenham Hotspur are set to meet Juventus's €90 million valuation of Dybala.
The English side have broken their transfer record after signing Tanguy Ndombele for €70 million. Dybala will replace Ndombele as the club's most expensive player if the transfer materializes. Sky Sports reveals that Manchester United are also interested in the Argentine forward.
Matthijs de Ligt not sure if he will be Juventus's starter
Juventus splashed a total of €85.5 million to sign the 19-year-old sensation less than a month ago. Matthijs de Ligt has was linked with numerous top European clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United. However, the former Ajax defender decided to join the Old Lady after a lengthy negotiation process.
Unfortunately, his Juventus preseason has been somewhat unimpressive so far. De Ligt scored an own goal in just 10 minutes against Inter in the International Champions Cup. The Dutch international also conceded 3 goals against K-league All-Stars in the subsequent preseason match. The Dutchman recently admitted that it would be difficult to become a regular next season.
“There are many experienced players here, so I’m really happy. I’m surprised at the level of everyone here.
“They’re all focused, and no-one stands out because all the individuals are very strong. Obviously, it’ll be difficult to be a starter with such strong players, but I’ll do my best," he said.
Inter Milan urged to sign Gonzalo Higuain instead of Romelu Lukaku
The Serie A outfit have not given up on the striker's potential arrival so far. However, Manchester United's €85 million valuation of Romelu Lukaku remains the main stumbling block for Antonio Conte's side.
On the other hand, former Real Madrid and Inter striker Antonio Cassano believed that his former club should go for Juventus forward Gonzalo Higuain instead of the Belgian. Higuain failed to make a considerable impact at Chelsea last season.
Nevertheless, Cassano insisted that Inter should swap Mauro Icardi for the 31-year-old. Inter have confirmed that Icardi is out of their plans.
“I personally don’t like Lukaku as a player, so for that asking price, it’s simply madness. I’m talking as a fan here, but I’d give Icardi to Juventus for Higuain.
“If I were working at Inter, that’s what I would do, as Icardi is just a weight on their shoulders,” Cassano said.
Daniele De Rossi expresses his love for Boca Juniors
The veteran midfielder joined Boca Juniors after spending more than a decade at AS Roma. Daniele De Rossi joined the Argentinian club on a free transfer following the expiration of his Roma contract. Many Roma fans have been angered by the club's refusal to extend the 36-year-old's contract.
However, De Rossi's former Roma teammate Nicolas Burdisso successfully persuaded the Italian star to play at Boca. De Rossi revealed that joining Boca is a dream come true. He further stated that he always wanted to play in America and have started watching Boca since he was a kid.
“My heart is for Roma, but I really like Boca and started watching them when I was a kid. They had Maradona, but I also fell in love with the stadium and how passionate the fans were.
“A club founded by Italians makes me feel at home. A big club, a club you can believe in.
“I always wanted to go to America, but also to walk up those stairs just once to enter the Bombonera as a Boca player, that’d be a real pleasure," the Italian said.
