REAL MADRID REJECT CHANCE TO SIGN STRIKER EDIN DZEKO THIS SUMMER

According to reputed Spanish journalist Anton Meana, intermediaries had offered Edin Dzeko to Real Madrid over a possible cut-price move in the summer transfer window. But the Merengues are not interested in signing the 36-year-old striker from Serie A giants Inter Milan due to his advanced age.


Edin Dzeko has been one of the most underrated strikers across Europe in the last decade and a half. The veteran forward first burst into prominence during his four-year stint with VfL Wolfsburg before rising in stature exponentially following his move to Manchester City in 2011. The Bosnian international’s stock skyrocketed when he joined AS Roma seven years ago. Continue reading REAL MADRID REJECT CHANCE TO SIGN STRIKER EDIN DZEKO THIS SUMMER

INTER MILAN, AS ROMA INTERESTED IN MADRID STAR NACHO FERNANDEZ

According to Eduardo Inda on El Chiringuito TV, Serie A giants Inter Milan and AS Roma are interested in signing veteran Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez and have tabled offers for the 32-year-old. A product of the Real Madrid academy, Nacho has spent his entire career with the Merengues and has established himself as a fan favourite due to his commitment, leadership and work ethic. He might not have been a regular starter, but the Spaniard has always delivered whenever called upon, showing extreme adaptability and versatility to slot in anywhere across the backline.

Since making his first-team debut under Jose Mourinho in 2011, Nacho has racked up 275 appearances for Real Madrid, even contributing with 15 goals and eight assists. The 32-year-old played a pivotal part in the club’s UEFA Champions League and La Liga double in the last season, featuring 42 times across all competitions under Carlo Ancelotti.
However, Nacho has entered the final year of his contract with Real Madrid. And with the reigning champions of Europe signing Antonio Rudiger on a Bosman deal, the utility man will drop down the pecking order, with Eder Militao and David Alaba already in front of him. So, there have been speculations about his future at Real Madrid ahead of the summer transfer window. Continue reading INTER MILAN, AS ROMA INTERESTED IN MADRID STAR NACHO FERNANDEZ

STEFAN DE VRIJ ON BARCELONA RADAR OVER SUMMER TRANSFER

La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly considering a summer move for veteran Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij, valued at €30 million by Inter Milan. According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Stefan de Vrij is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Dutch defender has one year left on his contract with Inter Milan, with the Serie A giants valuing him at around €30 million.

Stefan de Vrij spent his formative years in the Netherlands before graduating from the fabled Feyenoord academy. And after spending the first five years of his professional career with the Dutch club, the player grew in stature following his move to Italy, where he joined Lazio in July 2014. Continue reading STEFAN DE VRIJ ON BARCELONA RADAR OVER SUMMER TRANSFER

HOW LIVERPOOL COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INTER MILAN PLIGHT

Last summer, the heart of Inter’s title winning side was ruthlessly dismantled by the club’s owners Suning, as the Chinese conglomerate made it perfectly clear that the club’s debt was unsustainable and that cuts would have to be made after winning their first title in 11 years. Antonio Conte, the man to steer Inter to their first Scudetto since José Mourinho’s treble, realised this and walked out the door. Soon thereafter, Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku followed suit.


Twelve months later and Inter, who are going into the final day of the Serie A season on Sunday with the possibility to retain their title, are reportedly due to sell one major star again this summer. It’s believed that the club’s debt is still high, but not as alarming as last summer, and so in order to get the books into shape, the club will need to make one big sacrifice. Continue reading HOW LIVERPOOL COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INTER MILAN PLIGHT

INTER MISS TOP SPOT AT BOLOGNA

Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan have missed out on top spot on the league table after the 2-1 defeat at Bologna. The Nerazzuri came into their rescheduled match against hosts Bologna with the incentive to move one point clear of fellow Champions League campaigners with victory.

Inter Milan came into the Bologna game with a two-point deficit to leaders AC Milan and they failed to take the opportunity to move above Milan with a win after they were beaten by the home team despite taking the lead. Inter Milan shot into the lead after four minutes thanks to Croatian national team star Ivan Perisic. Ex-Bayern Munich winger Perisicfound the back of the netafter exchanging passes withItalian midfielder Nicola Barella to take his Serie A tally to six goals in 31 games.

While Inter Milan had eyes on top spot in their quest to win the Italian Serie A title for the second successive season, home team Bologna were also looking to pull further away from the relegation zone. Despite suffering a setback inside four minutes, it was Bologna who were able to meet their target thanks to two goals with a goal coming in each half. Austrian national team forward Marko Arnautovic was the recipient of the equaliser after 28 minutes, while Italian star Nicola Sansone scored the winning goal with nine minutes left on the clock. Sansone pounced on the mistake from IonutRadu in the Nerazzuri goal to secure the three points for the hosts.

Bologna have spent seven seasons in the Italian Serie A and are guaranteed an eighth straight season in the competition after the comeback win over Inter Milan. For Inter Milan, the defeat means that they are two points adrift of leaders AC Milan with four matches to play this season.

INTER TARGET PENS NEW SASSUOLO DEAL

Italian champions Inter Milan have been dealt a big transfer blow after one of their targets signed a new deal at his club. GianlucaScamacca has emerged as an Inter Milan target in recent weeks and there were transfer rumours that the Nerazzuri are confident that they can do a deal for Italian international striker Scamacca who plays for Sassuolo in the Italian Serie A. The confidence would have taken a big hit after Scamacca signed a new Sassuolo deal.


Inter Milan are not the only Italian football team keen on sihmimgScamacca, AC Milan also wanted to sign the 23-year-old attacker who’s one of the most promising Italian players. Also, he’s one of the best young players in the Italian Serie A and the general consensus is that he’s destined to move to a big club. Continue reading INTER TARGET PENS NEW SASSUOLO DEAL

NO JUVENTUS FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

Italian side Juventus won’t be in the Champions League quarterfinals this season after they were dumped out of the competition by Spanish La Liga representative Villarreal in the last 16 stage of the competition.


Juventus entered into the last 16 draw via the group stage after finishing as the top team in Group H ahead of European champions Chelsea. On their part, Villarreal made the last 16 draw after fighting off Italian team Atalanta to finish second behind Manchester United in Group H. Continue reading NO JUVENTUS FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

INTER MILAN EXIT UCL AGAINST LIVERPOOL

Italian champions Inter Milan will not play UEFA Champions League (UCL) football again this season after they were knocked out by Liverpool at the round of 16 stage.


Inter Milan booked their place in the round of 16 after finishing second to Real Madrid in Group D, while Liverpool were Group B winners ahead of Spanish La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, Portuguese giants FC Porto and Italian football team AC Milan. Liverpool and Inter Milan were drawn together when the round of 16 draw was held in December and the Reds were seen as favourites mainly due to their attacking prowess. At the end of the tie, Liverpool lived up to their status as favourites as they saw off Inter Milan to secure a place in the last eight of this season’s Champions League. Continue reading INTER MILAN EXIT UCL AGAINST LIVERPOOL

COPPA ITALIA: CORREA SUFFERS HAMSTRING INJURY

The 3-2 extra time win over Empoli in the CoppaItalia round of 16 came at a cost for Italian champions Inter Milan after one of their strikers suffered a serious hamstring injury. Argentine attacking talent Joaquin Correa had to limp off in the third minute of the game due to a hamstring problem. The ex-Lazio man was in tears and inconsolable in the presence of his teammates when he went off with the injury.

Correa was named in the Inter Milan starting XI for the Empoli game and he lasted for just a couple of minutes after suffering the injury in a duel with Empoli star Simone Romagnoli. Romagnoli climbed all over him and that proved to be too much for his hamstring. The Argentine international was left clutching his left thigh after the incident with Romagnoli. Correa burst into tears as it was evident that he felt something twinge or snap in his left thigh. His teammates and the medical staff tried their best to console him.

Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghiintroduced Chilean star Alexis Sanchez in the place of the injured Correa in the fifth minute and he would go on to play a big part in the comeback win over Empoli. Inzaghi would be hoping that Argentine international Correa won’t miss much football as a result of the injury with the Nerazzuri still in the hunt for three major trophies this season.

Sanchez was the matchwinner as Inter Milan won the first major trophy of the season in the Italian top flight via a 1-0 win over rivals Juventus. The Chilean international scored in extra time to give his team victory in the SuperCoppa Italia.

Correa has been a regular in the Inter Milan team since his transfer from Lazio last summer. He has an attacking return of four goals and one assist in 19 Inter Milan games in all competitions.

LUKAKU NEEDS INTER MORE

Chelsea striker RomeluLukaku granted an unusual interview to Sky Sports towards the end of last month and its ripple effect has not been limited to West London. Inter Milan have also not been left out of the ripple effect from the now famous Lukaku interview. During the interview, Lukaku stated his desire to return to Inter Milan in the future some months after he left to sign for Chelsea in a club-record deal. The Blues paid around €115m (£97m) to secure his transfer during last summer’s transfer window.

Lukaku has struggled to make an impact in West London and has started just eight games in the Premier League though it must be pointed out that he missed six games due to ankle sprain and Covid-19. In the revealing interview, Lukaku established his situation as being unhappy at Chelsea. He apologised for the nature of his departure from Inter Milan and expressed his desire to return to the San Siro while he’s still in his prime.

His exit last summer led to panic amongst the Inter fans who were concerned about the direction that the club was going with the sales of important players such as Moroccan right-back AchraafHakimi and the aforementioned Lukaku, but new manager Simone Inzaghi has shown that Inter Milan can get results without those two players.

Inter Milan won the Italian Serie A title last season and they are on course to defend their title. Under Inzaghi who replaced Antonio Conte last summer, Inter Milan have a four-point lead at the top of the table.

The Nerazzuri have been very effective in front of goal without the firepower of Lukaku who scored 24 league goals on the way to the title win last season. This season, the trio of HakanCalhanoglu, EdinDzeko and Lautaro Martinez have contributed 25 goals.

Lukaku scored 12 of his 24 goals in the first half of last season, but he has scored just five league goals for Chelsea this season.

With his well documented struggles at Chelsea, it is clear that Lukaku needs Inter more than they need him as he’s part of the team under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge rather than him being the main man just like what was obtainable with him at Inter Milan last season.