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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.
Paul Pogba wants Real Madrid move despite Juventus interest
Paul Pogba has revealed his intention to depart from Manchester United after spending 3 years at Old Trafford. His agent Mino Raiola has also confirmed that Pogba is on his way out of United. However, Manchester United are believed to demand more than €200 million for the midfielder.
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Juventus and Real Madrid are the likeliest destinations for the 26-year-old should he get his move. According to a report from Spain, Pogba has told Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he is keen to join Real Madrid.
The Los Blancos have splashed more than €300 million to sign prominent players such as Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic. Thus, the Spanish club will need to cash in on a a lot of unwanted players if the club still want Pogba. Juventus, on the other hand, have also been linked with the wantaway Manchester United star recently.
Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri has confirmed his interest in the 26-year-old, saying that he likes the player very much. However, the Italian manager further revealed that he does not know the situation of the transfer saga. Juventus have spent a lot in the market, as the club have recently snatched Matthijs de Ligt for a massive €85 million.
The Old Lady have also bought Merih Demiral and Cristian Romero, and the club will need to splash a considerable amount of cash on Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey's wage. Despite his club's lavish spending, Maurizio Sarri has hinted that the Serie A champions will look to sign more players.
“I think the club, between now and the end of the transfer window, will do something in terms of incomings, but we’ll also have to do something in terms of outgoings," the former Chelsea boss said.
Inter to sell more than 2 players to fund Romelu Lukaku move
The Italian club have pushed hard to sign Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku. However, they are still unable to agree on a price with United. Inter are believed to want to sign the player for less than £70 million, while United are reportedly demanding more than £80 million. Antonio Conte has made it clear that he wants the player at Inter.
According to a report from Italy, Inter are also yet to find an agreement on the player's wages. The report further claims that the Italian side would need to sell more players in addition to Mauro Icardi and Radja Nainggolan to fund Lukaku's transfer. Both Giuseppe Marotta and Conte have confirmed that the 2 previously mentioned players are out of Inter's plans for the future.
Icardi managed to score just 11 goals last season. Nainggolan, on the other hand, has had several issues off the pitch.
Gasperini demands more signings from Atalanta
Atalanta will play their first-ever Champions League season next season after finishing 3rd in the Serie A. The Bergamo-based club have received plenty of praises for their attractive football. Atalanta collected 69 points and were the league's highest-scoring team.
They have been able to keep most of their star players, despite the club having lost Gianluca Mancini to AS Roma. However, Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini wants the club to make few more signings. The Serie A outfit have signed Luis Muriel and Ruslan Malinovskyi so far.
“Last season, we were a bit limited and were fortunate not to have too many injuries to deal with. I don’t like squads that are too big, but we do need a defender and an alternative to Ilicic", said the manager. He continued,
“It’s only natural that because we did so well, many offers came in for our star players, but we’ve turned them down. I think the only ‘indecent proposal’ we could receive would be for Duvan Zapata, although I hope it never arrives. If it does, the club will do its best to counter that,” Gasperini said.
Montella confirms Federico Chiesa and Nikola Milenkovic will play against Benfica
Federico Chiesa and Nikola Milenkovic have been continuously linked with top clubs such as Manchester United. Both players impressed last season, despite Fiorentina having barely avoided relegation. Many doubt that the Italian club can keep their star players following the club's poor Serie A run.
Chiesa did not feature in Viola's friendly match against Arsenal. Milenkovic, on the other hand, did not start the game but came in as a substitute. However, Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella revealed that both players would play in the club's next preseason game due to a contractual obligation.
“I discovered that Chiesa is contractually obligated to play at least 30 minutes and so is Milenkovic, so they’re going to have to play against Benfica", the Italian said.
“Chiesa didn’t seem particularly irritated or sad to me. The lads are working well, they are at our disposal, and some are playing out of position during an emergency situation," Montella said.
Adrien Rabiot aims dig at PSG
The Frenchman joined Juventus on a free transfer just less than a month ago. However, Adrien Rabiot revealed that he already feels the difference between working at Juventus and PSG, saying that Juventus is much harder than PSG. The 24-year-old had not played for months before coming as a substitute in Juventus's match against Tottenham.
Last season, he was excluded from PSG squad after refusing to extend his contract. The Frenchman was linked with top clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United. However, he decided to join the Old Lady after seeking advice from Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon.
“It’s been 10 months since I played a match and it went well. Physically there have been some difficulties because it’s been barely more than a week since we started working again, but I think that with time and more training, everything will get better.
“It’s too early to make comparisons between Italian and French football, but the way of working is different.
“As far as the amount of effort is concerned, I can say that here it’s much harder than in France,” Rabiot said.
