According to Mundo Deportivo, Bologna coach Thiago Motta remains an option for the Barcelona job, and the same is true of Roberto De Zerbi, who will leave Brighton at the end of the season.

Barcelona directors have been urged to consider Thiago Motta as a replacement for Xavi if the ex-midfielder leaves the club at the end of the season.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Motta has been mentioned to Barcelona directors by people outside Motta’s entourage.

MD: Thiago Motta offered to Barcelona, De Zerbi still a candidate

Motta has led Bologna to a historic Champions League qualification this season. The ex-Italian midfielder said that he’d meet club President Joey Saputo next week to discuss his future at the Stadio Dall’Ara and insisted that he had not reached an agreement with any other club.

However, several sources in Italy insist Motta will be the new Juventus coach in 2024-25.

According to Mundo Deportivo, another Italian coach, De Zerbi, is a candidate for the Barcelona job.

The former Sassuolo tactician will leave Brighton after today’s game against Manchester United.

With the Zhang family seemingly unable to repay a debt to Oaktree Capital Management, the American firm can take over the club from May 20, reproducing the same scenario that saw Elliott take control of Milan in 2018, even if there’s a key difference.

Today, Sunday, May 19, 2024, could be the final full day of the Suning era at Inter.

President Zhang is due to repay a €395m loan to Oaktree Capital Management by tomorrow, but he does not seem in a condition to meet the deadline. If this is the case, the American firm will take control of the club from the end of May 20.

Zhang had been in talks with Pimco to get a new loan, but negotiations fell apart. The Nerazzurri president said in an official statement on Saturday that he’d been making “every attempt with our partner [Oaktree] to find an amicable resolution”, but, at this stage, the end of the Suning era at Inter seems inevitable.

Even CEO Beppe Marotta, who is usually very measured, described Saturday as a ‘terrible’ day financially and didn’t attend an event in Noli because of the club’s crisis.

Inter fans are experiencing precisely the same situation as their ‘cousins’ – city rivals Milan – six years ago.

Zhang not quite like Yonghong Li

Back in 2016, Li Yonghong, a completely unknown Chinese entrepreneur, bought the Rossoneri from Silvio Berlusconi-owned Fininvest.

However, to complete the deal, he obtained a loan from Elliott Investment Management, which, after years of struggles, he was unable to repay. Therefore, the American firm took over in the summer of 2018, and this is exactly what will happen to Inter tomorrow if Zhang fails to repay the debt.

There is a key difference between the two stories, and it does not concern the length or success of the Suning ownership at Inter compared to Li Yonghong on the other side of San Siro.

As explained by Il Giornale—via l’Interista—Suning would not lose Inter’s control for nothing. In fact, in order to take over, Oaktree must pay the difference between the club’s market value and the sum Zhang was unable to repay. This means Oaktree will have to pay circa €500m to take control of Inter if the club’s transfer value is estimated at around €900m.

Li Yonghong, on the other hand, lost control of Milan for nothing, while Elliott sold the club to RedBird in 2022.

What Oaktree will decide about Inter, so whether to keep control or sell to the highest bidder straight away, remains to be seen.

The Marotta factor

There is also another important difference, as Inter already have a management structure in place that was operating largely independently of Suning and President Steven Zhang.

CEO Beppe Marotta is to all intents and purposes running the club and for several years has been slicing into the record losses, operating a transfer budget balanced entirely by player sales and sealing free transfers.

He has already lined up two players for next season, Piotr Zielinski and Medhi Taremi, who are out of contract at Napoli and FC Porto respectively.

If Oaktree do want to wait until finding a buyer and keep building value at Inter, then Marotta is the right man to do it for them.

La Gazzetta dello Sport hailed ‘professional’ Christian Pulisic after Milan‘s 3-1 loss against Torino, but the pink paper urged the Rossoneri to replace Fikayo Tomori ‘if this was his true version.’

Milan suffered an away 3-1 loss against Torino on Saturday night, which was pretty disappointing even though Stefano Pioli’s men have mathematically qualified for the Champions League as Serie A runners-up.

Their latest loss to Torino, their 7th in 37 games this term, led to criticism from the media on Sunday and English centre-back Tomori was among the most exposed.

Pulisic the light in Milan’s darkness, but Tomori must be replaced on one condition

Gazzetta rated the ex-Chelsea man 4.5/10, highlighting that he had lost key duels, which led to two Torino goals. ‘If this is his true version, Milan will need a defensive leader,’ wrote the pink paper in their Pagelle, the Player Ratings.

The whole Milan squad was pretty disappointing and clearly less motivated than their opponents.

Only Marco Sportiello, Tijjani Reijnders and Alessandro Florenzi received 6/10 from Gazzetta, while Pulisic was the best Milan player on the pitch with 6.5/10.

Gazzetta praised the American star not only because he earned a penalty kick in the second half, but primarily for his DNA as a ‘professional.’

Corriere dello Sport had the same view, given that Pulisic was described as the ‘light in Milan’s darkness’. At the same time, Tomori and his defensive partner Malick Thiaw received the lowest ratings: 4.5 for both.

PSG and Barcelona are among the clubs interested in Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the most likely scenario for the Georgian star is a contract extension with a release clause.

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is ready to meet Kvaratskhelia’s agent, Mamuka Jugeli, to discuss a contract extension for the Georgian ace.

According to the latest report of La Gazzetta dello Sport, a new summit between the two parties will take place at the beginning of the campaign, so not later than in two weeks.

Kvara has demanded a new €5m-a-year contract through his entourage, while Napoli will not offer more than €4m plus add-ons.

The winger’s agent has already informed the Partenopei about PSG and Barcelona’s interest in his client, but the Ligue 1 giants would be the favourite in this race because of a better financial situation.

Kvaratskhelia: most likely scenario revealed amid Barcelona and PSG rumours

President De Laurentiis has not ruled out a sale, but according to Gazzetta, the most likely scenario would be for Kvaratskhelia to extend his contract with the Partenopei, including a release clause in his contract.

How much would it be worth? Surely more than €100m and potentially close to Osimhen’s clause between €120m and €130m.

Kvara only gets €1.5m per season and his current deal runs out in June 2027. Napoli didn’t offer him a new deal after their title-winning campaign in 2022-23 so they will surely make their proposal in the coming days.

The festivities are soon to begin for Bologna, after they secured qualification to the Champions League last weekend, for the first time since their appearance in the preliminary round in 1964, and now the club are planning for a few celebrations to recognise this season’s accomplishments.

Bologna confirmed on Sunday that they will stage an open-top bus parade through the city, beginning from the square outside the Dall’Ara’s Curva Bulgarelli, leading to the Piazza Maggiore, where thousands of supporters are expected to be waiting in order to congratulate the team.

The parade will also take the team past several iconic spots in the city of Bologna, including the Piazza Malpighi and through Via Indipendenza.

The club, with an official statement, have urged supporters who live or work along the route to decorate their homes and/or businesses in Bologna colours.

The events are due to take place on Wednesday 22 May, beginning at 18.30 BST, 19.30 local time.

What Bologna need to confirm third place in Serie A

On the pitch, The Rossoblu are due to face Juventus in Serie A on Monday night, which will likely determine the final ranking of the two teams in question, who are currently level on points in third and fourth place, with 67 apiece.

A win for Bologna against Juve will secure third place in the league, while a draw means that the teams will still be level on points, and on head-to-head given their 1-1 draw earlier in the season. If the latter scenario is the case, the final standings will be determined on the final day of the season next weekend.

In contrast, a loss against Juventus will mean that the Old Lady will confirm their spot in third place at full-time on Sunday.

It has taken Thiago Motta just six years to progress from the bottom of the coaching ranks to one of the most sought-after tacticians in Europe: here’s how the ex-Italy international has taken the Rossoblu to the Champions League and became the leading candidate for the Juventus job.

The 41-year-old’s appointment at Bologna was not greeted with universal approval yet the former Italy international has led the Rossoblu to the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.

It is a monumental achievement for a coach who was belittled for suggesting the merits of a 2-7-2 formation when he transitioned from the pitch to the dugout with the Paris Saint-Germain under-19 squad.

Motta’s pathway to qualification for Europe’s top competition has been unconventional.

Sacked after just 10 games at the helm in Genoa the ex-Inter midfielder had to wait patiently before leading Spezia to safety in the 2021-2022 season. Drafted in when Bologna relieved Sinisa Mihajlovic of his duties in September 2022, the Brazilian-born coach was not greeted by hordes of cheering Rossoblu ultras.

Yet Motta guided the club to its best-ever points tally in the modern era—matching the 54 recorded by the 1963-1964 championship-winning team—as he steered the Emilia-Romagna club to ninth in the table.

Nobody foresaw such an improvement this term.

The benefits of a full pre-season as coach and excellent player recruitment, especially in defence, yielded spectacular results.

Motta’s willingness to adapt different strategies within a flexible formation while utilising every talented squad member produced a formidable team that was undaunted to duke it out with the Serie A heavyweights.

The young tactician ostensibly lined up his side in a 4-3-3 configuration with an emphasis on the flanks. It has also been interpreted as 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 depending on his starting XI. Yet there has been consistency in the deployment of a back four, a holding midfielder, two wingers and a lone forward.

Motta favours an advanced press to suffocate the opposition and retrieve possession rapidly. A calculated build-up from the back aims to manipulate occupied areas, as the widemen rarely stray from the touchlines.

Everyone tracks back as Bologna resembles two blocks of four and five when defending their goal. It is a mixture of pragmatic and creative, as Motta’s side’s fitness and physical tenacity have proved the difference in several big games.

An animated and motivational presence on the sidelines, the former Inter treble winner clearly has the respect of a committed player pool. Before an extremely unfortunate season-ending injury, Lewis Ferguson established himself as one of the leaders in a side with multiple match winners.

The Scottish midfielder’s link-up play with Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee had been a hallmark of a Rossoblu side which patiently dictates from the back.

Motta transformed former full-back Riccardo Calafiori into a ball-playing central defender with a license to roam forward. The ex-Roma youth product now looks certain to be part of Luciano Spalletti’s Italy squad at the European Championships after an outstanding campaign.

Although there are reliable mainstays—Austrian full-back Stefan Posch, Colombian stopper Jhon Lucumi, and Dutch centre-back Sam Beukema in defence, Swiss midfielder anchor Remo Freuler, and Zirkzee upfront—Motta has often rotated his squad, leaving key players out.

Even star winger Riccardo Orsolini has not been guaranteed a starting place as the coach has tweaked his team with surprising regularity.

It is a testament to Motta’s decision-making and man-management that no schisms have emerged in the 24-strong squads despite the changes.

His ability to keep fringe players fresh and focused should not be underestimated either.

Motta has not left anyone on the bench permanently.

Italian under-21 cap Giovanni Fabbian, Moroccan international Oussama El Azzouzi and versatile Danish forward Jens Odgaard have all made vital contributions when called upon. Backup goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia has also played his part in place of regular first-choice Lukasz Skorupski.

Without such a unified effort the Rossoblu’s advance up the standings would not have been possible. Success inevitably attracts admirers and Motta might be coaching a different club in the Champions League next term.

It has been widely reported for weeks that Juventus, who travel to Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Monday night, want the Brazilian-born coach to replace Massimiliano Allegri.

Regardless of where he ends up, the innovative young tactician can look back on a milestone campaign that will be remembered for years to come in Bologna.

@SKasiewicz

Despite being crowned as Serie A champions for 2023-24, uncertain times lie ahead for Inter, as club President Steven Zhang and holding company Suning’s €395m loan must be repaid by the end of Monday. If they fail to come good, the club will be repossessed and a new management team could come into effect in San Siro.

US fund Oaktree Capital provided a €275m loan with a 12% interest rate back in 2021, which must be repaid in full on May 20, 2024. If the loan is not repaid, Oaktree will assume control, as the club was effectively used as collateral at the time of the original agreement.

However, Oaktree reportedly have no interest in running and operating a football club. If the loan is not repaid, they will look to sell Inter as swiftly as possible. Recent reports suggest they may even have a buyer lined up already.

Who will run Inter day-to-day

Oaktree have promised to keep the same management in place if they do assume control of the club next week according to reports from TMW on Sunday morning.

However, the new shareholders after that will have to confirm their own board of directors, and importantly, appoint a new President to replace Zhang.

Though recent reports suggest that Oaktree’s potential repossession of Inter will not have an impact on the agreement of new contracts or transfer deals, there is expected to be a period of around 20 days where that type of business is put on hold, until a new, longer-term owner is put in place.

Two Premier League sides have reportedly sent scouts to watch Manchester United’s on-loan Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat with a view to making an investment this summer according to updates on Sunday morning.

Amrabat to stay in England?

Two London sides in Crystal Palace and Fulham have sent members of their team to watch the Morocco international in recent weeks according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, reporting from sources in the UK.

It has been an underwhelming maiden campaign in the Premier League for Amrabat, who introduced himself on the global stage with a run to the World Cup semi-final with Morocco in Qatar in 2022.

He has picked up 20 top flight appearances in the UK, but only nine of those have come as a starter, and several of those were out-of-position at left-back.

United picked Amrabat up on loan with an option to buy, eventually costing them a reported €10m for the season, with a possibility to pay €20m plus an extra €5m in bonuses to secure his services permanently. United will not activate their buy option.

The 27-year-old has little over a year remaining on his contract with Fiorentina, but it is understood that his time in Tuscany has likely already come to an end. La Viola will almost certainly look to move him on in the summer according to recent updates.

La Gazzetta feel that remaining in England is a strong possibility, and that a move ot the capital, to either Crystal Palace or Fulham, could be on the cards.

Juventus’ recent dismissal of head coach Massimiliano Allegri could potentially end in a court case according to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday morning.

Allegri was officially sacked on Friday, in the aftermath of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final, where, despite Juventus lifting the trophy, the coach erupted on the touchline, before making a series of alleged personal threats to Tuttosport editor Guido Vaciago.

Do Juventus owe Allegri €7m?

La Gazzetta report that Juventus consider themselves negatively impacted by Friday’s sacking, and that they have been evaluating the possibility of dismissal for just cause.

If that is the case, then Juventus could get away with not having to pay the remaining €7m on Allegri’s contract, which had been due to expire in the summer of 2025.

According to Sunday’s report, the former Bianconeri coach is yet to decide which next steps to take. If just cause is found, he could still appeal. He will have five days from the time of his dismissal to respond to the disciplinary issues he was presented with by CEO Maurizio Scanavino on behalf of the club’s lawyers at the time.

If Juventus are found not to have had just cause, or if they do and Allegri successfully appeals, the coach will be entitled to the €7m he is owed from the remaining year on his contract in full, plus potential compensation for damages to reputation.

Juventus have officially confirmed the appointment of Paolo Montero as interim head coach, following the dismissal of Massimiliano Allegri on Friday in the aftermath of Wednesday’s fiery Coppa Italia final.

Allegri had his second Juventus tenure cut short after erupting on the touchline against Atalanta, before making a series of alleged threats to the editor of newspaper Tuttosport in the Stadio Olimpico tunnel.

His contract had been due to expire in the summer of 2025, although many believed that the Bianconeri were set to end the partnership one year ahead of schedule anyway.

It became evident later on Friday that Montero would be the man to guide Juventus in their final two games of the Serie A season, against high-flying Bologna on Monday and at home then against Monza in the final round of 2023-24 fixtures.

Montero is also the head coach of Juventus’ U19 squad. He also has 278 appearances for the Old Lady, including 186 in Serie A, having played as a defender in Turin between 1996 and 2005.

He has had to wait for his official announcement, as he had to sit out a one-game touchline ban during the U19’s league match against Frosinone on Saturday.

He is, of course, still eligible to lead the team for Monday’s match against Bologna, which could determine the ranking of the Serie A top four.

Juventus statement

“Paolo Montero will take the reins of the Men’s First Team for the final two games of the Serie A season, which come away at Bologna and then at home to Monza.

“Currently coach of our Under-19s team, who finished their season on Saturday, 18 May, Montero will take the step up to the First Team for what remains of the current campaign. He will take his first session with the squad on Sunday, before facing Bologna at 20:45 CEST on Monday evening at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.

“He will then lead the Bianconeri for the season finale against Monza at the Allianz Stadium.

“Paolo is a Juventus legend, firstly on the pitch, and someone who has long been a bearer of the Club’s DNA on the bench.

“Best of luck, Paolo!”

Paolo Montero takes charge of the Men's First Team until the end of the season

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 19, 2024

Stefano Pioli hit out at Milan critics and reminded them how things improved since he took over five years ago. ‘People act like second place is suddenly shoddy.’

The coach is under contract until June 2025, but it has been known for months now that he will be fired at the end of the season.

This search for a successor drags on through the media and is on the front pages every day, but Pioli is frustrated at his treatment.

“It was a good season, we were the best of the ‘normal’ teams behind an Inter side who did something extraordinary,” Pioli told DAZN.

“Our regrets are in the Champions League and Europa League, but that’s what those tournaments are like, if you don’t take your chance in that moment, you can go out.

“Just look at Borussia Dortmund, who finished 25 points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, yet will play in the Champions League Final.”

The Pioli era at Milan

Pioli was hired in October 2019 and took them to an entirely unexpected Scudetto in 2022, where he was also named Coach of the Year.

Last season he took the Rossoneri to the Champions League semi-final, losing to rivals Inter, and this term already has second place locked down in Serie A.

“Over these years, we raised everyone’s expectations and now people act like second place is suddenly shoddy. You know full well that is not the case. Only one team can win.”

While he would seem to be on the way out, Pioli did get a tattoo of the Scudetto symbol on his arm.

“This remains. Honestly, I wanted to wait until next week to sum up the experience, but I think I can say one thing. I evaluate my work based on what condition I find a team in and then again when I leave.

“I arrived with Milan in one situation and I leave – if I leave – with Milan in quite another. The rest is just lots of talk and not much content.”

In his four full seasons at the club, Pioli’s Serie A finishes were two second places, one Scudetto and fourth in 2022-23.

Before he took charge, the last time they managed second place was in 2011-12 and their most recent title was in 2010-11.

If Fiorentina win the Conference League Final against Olympiacos and finish outside the top eight, then it would open up another European spot in Serie A.

The Viola will go head-to-head with Olympiacos in Athens for the 2024 Conference League Final on May 29.

Whoever wins that trophy gains automatic access to the Europa League for the 2024-25 campaign.

Therefore, if Fiorentina win while finishing outside the top eight, then they will be the ninth team to qualify for a UEFA competition next season.

However, all they need are two points from their remaining two Serie A matches against Cagliari and Atalanta to guarantee eighth place.

So in order for Torino or even Napoli to snatch that Conference League qualifying spot, they would need the Viola to falter.

Fiorentina on track for eighth place

As things stand, Fiorentina are on 54 points with a game in hand, followed by Torino on 53 and Napoli 52.

The Tuscans will not complete their Serie A campaign until June 2 against Atalanta, as that game was called off at the last minute in March when director Joe Barone collapsed at the team hotel, dying two days later.

It was simply not possible to reschedule it before then due to the packed fixture list of both teams.

As things stand, the top five go into the Champions League, sixth and seventh the Europa League and eighth the Conference League.

Catanzaro needed a dramatic comeback and 4-2 extra time victory over Brescia with Pietro Iemmello’s brace to book a Serie B promotion play-off semi-final against Cremonese.

The Serie B play-off semi-finals are now set with Palermo-Venezia and Catanzaro-Cremonese to be played over two legs.

It took the Rondinelle just eight minutes to take the lead, as Gabriele Moncini knocked down the Dimitri Bisoli long ball for Nicolas Galazzi to bundle over the line from close range.

The hosts thought they had equalised with Jari Vandeputte, but his strike off the outside of the right boot thumped the upright.

It was only a warning, as moments later Pietro Iemmello spun round in the box to fire left-footed into the net.

Iemmello almost turned it around completely, denied by a Luca Lezzerini fingertip save at the top corner, and instead Moncini restored Brescia’s advantage by pouncing on a defensive slip.

Just as it looked as if the game would end 2-1 for Brescia, Catanzaro equalised deep into stoppages with Alfredo Donnarumma’s header on a corner to force extra time.

Due to the play-off rules, if it was still level after extra time, then Catanzaro would go through as they finished higher up the Serie B table in the regular season.

Serie B play-off in extra time

Andrea Fulignati denied the Lorenzo Dickmann strike and Davide Adorni nodded off target, but it was the hosts who turned it around through Enrico Brignola’s acrobatic finish.

Catanzaro goalkeeper Fulignati remained decisive on Bisoli, but then had to limp off at the 118^th minute with muscular problems.

Andrea Sala came on and was almost beaten within 60 seconds, as Giacomo Olzer got around him only to fire over the empty net.

Instead, Catanzaro added a fourth on the counter-attack with Iemmello, who dinked a delicate finish over the on-rushing goalkeeper.

Catanzaro 4-2 Brescia (aet)

Galazzi 8 (B), Iemmello 26, 121 (C), Moncini 52 (B), Donnarumma 96 (C), Brignola 105 (C)

18-05-2024 19:30

1/4 Final

Stadio Nicola Ceravolo

Catanzaro

Brescia

4 - 2

Player statistic

Enrico Brignola (Assist: Pietro Iemmello)		105'
Pietro Iemmello (Assist: Alfredo Donnarumma)		120+2'

1st half

		8'		Nicolas Galazzi (Assist: Gabriele Moncini)
Pietro Iemmello (Assist: Tommaso Biasci)		26'

2nd half

		52'		Gabriele Moncini
Stefano Scognamillo		60'
		67'		Gabriele Moncini
Pietro Iemmello		90+4'
Alfredo Donnarumma (Assist: Andrea Oliveri)		90+6'

Match statistic

60

Possession %

40

24

Total shots

17

9

Shots on target

8

11

Shots off target

6

4

Blocked shots

3

10

Corners

4

5

Offsides

3

18

Fouls

17

Catanzaro

Brescia

Starting lineups

1

Andrea Fulignati

Goalkeeper

118'

72

Davide Veroli

Defender

61'

4

Matias Antonini

Defender

23

Nicolò Brighenti

Defender

14

Stefano Scognamillo

Defender

24

Dimitrios Sounas

Midfielder

71'

10

Jacopo Petriccione

Midfielder

27

Jari Vandeputte

Midfielder

82'

20

Simone Pontisso

Midfielder

71'

9

Pietro Iemmello

Attacker

28

Tommaso Biasci

Attacker

71'

1

Luca Lezzerini

Goalkeeper

18

Alexander Jallow

Defender

15

Andrea Cistana

Defender

28

Davide Adorni

Defender

24

Lorenzo Dickmann

Defender

25

Dimitri Bisoli

Midfielder

4

Fabrizio Paghera

Midfielder

67'

39

Michele Besaggio

Midfielder

79'

9

Flavio Bianchi

Attacker

67'

11

Gabriele Moncini

Attacker

67'

23

Nicolas Galazzi

Attacker

99'

Substitutes

32

Luka Krajnc

Defender

21

Marco Pompetti

Midfielder

44

Kevin Miranda

Defender

22

Edoardo Borrelli

Goalkeeper

41

Alessandro Viotti

Attacker

40

Giacint Rafele

Attacker

16

Andrea Sala

Goalkeeper

118'

33

Andrea Oliveri

Midfielder

61'

99

Alfredo Donnarumma

Attacker

71'

8

Luca Verna

Midfielder

71'

19

Matteo Stoppa

Attacker

71'

17

Enrico Brignola

Attacker

82'

6

Mohamed Fares

Midfielder

22

Lorenzo Andrenacci

Goalkeeper

14

Massimiliano Mangraviti

Attacker

3

Matthieu Huard

Defender

21

Riccardo Fogliata

Midfielder

31

Matteo Ferro

Attacker

5

Tom van de Looi

Midfielder

67'

27

Giacomo Olzer

Midfielder

67'

26

Massimo Bertagnoli

Midfielder

79'

32

Andrea Papetti

Defender

85'

7

Birkir Bjarnason

Midfielder

20

Patrick Nuamah

Midfielder

99'

The dismissal of Max Allegri and likely arrival of Thiago Motta as Juventus coach could change plans to sell Manchester United target Gleison Bremer.

It had been widely assumed that the Brazil international would be sacrificed this summer with a sale price of €70m.

That is considered more than fair, as Juve paid €50m to purchase him from Torino in 2022 and the 27-year-old has gone from strength to strength in Turin and his contract runs to June 2028.

However, the situation at Juventus has certainly changed with yesterday’s decision to sack coach Allegri.

Most assume that Bologna boss Thiago Motta has been lined up to replace him next season and that could transform their transfer plans too.

Thiago Motta wants Bremer at Juve

According to Sportitalia transfer expert Alfredo Pedullà, Thiago Motta is a real admirer of Bremer and wants him to be the rock at the centre of their defence, especially if they move to a 4-3-3 formation.

This is not the only change, as Federico Chiesa was extremely frustrated under Allegri’s tactics, but could be convinced to stay with Thiago Motta at the helm.

On the other hand, Adrien Rabiot is more likely to join Manchester United as a free agent now that Allegri has been sacked.

The release clause for Milan and Arsenal transfer target Benjamin Sesko is now set at €65m after he concluded the season with RB Leipzig.

The centre-forward has an unusual clause set in his contract which climbs depending on his performances during the campaign.

It was able to escalate from €45m to a maximum of €72m, but today the season came to a close and therefore the clause has been set at €65m for this summer.

Sesko hot property

Sesko found the net 19 times along with three assists in all competitions for RB Leipzig and is expected to be hot property on the transfer market.

His profile could grow even more when Slovakia participate in the EURO 2024 tournament from June to July.

Milan and Arsenal are known to have Sesko on their wish-list and have both held meetings with his entourage already.

The two clubs really do seem to be going for the same targets, as they are also expected to battle on the market for Bologna centre-forward Joshua Zirkzee.

It was revealed this week that Zirkzee’s €40m release clause is not only valid for Bayern Munich, but for any club who comes along.

According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Oaktree already have a buyer lined up to purchase Inter if Suning and the Zhang family fail to repay the €395m loan on Monday.

US fund Oaktree granted Suning the €275m loan in 2021 with a 12 per cent interest rate and the due date for repayment is on May 20.

Suning had hoped to get a deal in place with Pimco to take out a different loan at an even higher interest rate to pay that off, but this agreement seems to have fallen through.

If the loan is not repaid, Inter will effectively be repossessed, as it was used as collateral to secure the loan.

The Financial Times reported yesterday that, unlike Elliott Management with Milan when repossessing the club from Yonghong Li in 2019, Oaktree have no desire to run a football team.

Inter could be repossessed

Now Il Sole 24 Ore confirms that, which is why they believe Oaktree have already got a buyer lined up to take over Inter once they repossess it.

There had been several interested parties over the past three years, largely from Saudi Arabia, but Suning were confident they could keep hold of the club and just bring in investors.

That plan failed and they are now on the verge of losing the club that has just won the Serie A title.

Meanwhile, there is at least some good news for Nerazzurri supporters, because Il Sole 24 Ore also reports that the repossession should not affect the agreement of new contracts with players or even transfer deals.

This is because for several years now Beppe Marotta has already been running a net zero transfer campaign, paying for any new signings with sales that made profits.

It is increasingly likely that ex-Roma coach Jose Mourinho will head for Turkey, as after Fenerbahce, now Besiktas confirm they are in negotiations.

The Special One is a free agent after he was sacked by Roma in mid-January and said several times he wants to make sure he makes the right decision on his next career step.

Fenerbahce had openly named Mourinho as their target for next season, although that was largely part of a Presidential election campaign.

Turkey calling Mourinho

On the other hand, Besiktas are in a position to make a firm offer right now and vice-president Huseyin Yucel confirmed as much today.

“We contacted Jose Mourinho a month ago and he welcomed our offer. We already resolved the economic details and will go to Italy next week so we can meet face to face.

“If we reach an agreement with Mourinho, then we will recommend he include Ricardo Quaresma in the staff.”

The vice-president assured the wages would be covered by a sponsorship agreement, so would not weigh too heavily on the club coffers.

It remains to be seen what the Portuguese tactician will do next, as he has also been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia and even a return to the Premier League.

Hüseyin Yücel: Mourinho ile ekonomik detaylar halledildi. Haftaya İtalya’ya gidip yüz yüze görüşeceğiz. Mourinho ile anlaşırsak kendisine Quaresma’nın da teknik heyet de yer almasını önereceğiz. Beşiktaş'a mali yük oluşturmayacak, sponsorla halledebiliriz. pic.twitter.com/uKcDTd7DPk

— Sports Digitale (@SportsDigitale) May 18, 2024

It is now confirmed that Atalanta, Bologna, Juventus, Milan and Inter qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League, but it is still possible Serie A could get a sixth slot.

La Dea got the three points they needed this evening with a 2-0 victory away to Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare, which guaranteed their place in the top five.

It is a return to the Champions League after a three-year absence for the Bergamo boys, who are gearing up for Wednesday’s Europa League Final against Bayer Leverkusen.

That means Atalanta cannot be caught by Roma and Lazio, so the confirmed Italian entries for the Champions League are Inter, Milan, Juventus, Bologna and Atalanta.

Serie A still in with chance of six slots

However, it is still possible for Italy to have a sixth place in the new, expanded tournament, but only if certain conditions are met.

They need Atalanta to win the Europa League Final on May 22, but also to finish in fifth place.

If Atalanta manage to overtake Bologna or Juventus into fourth, then victory in the Europa League will become irrelevant.

This is because the ‘extra’ slot rules were drawn up before the season began and go to a team who finish outside the top four in Serie A.

As it happens, Serie A already managed to get a fifth bonus slot thanks to their superior club ranking, so does not ‘count’ for calculating the Europa League victor’s qualification.

https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/1791890353051598964

While Milan may not be interested and Bayern Munich directors deny a deal, Roberto De Zerbi is emerging as a Napoli candidate after leaving Brighton.

The announcement came today via a formal statement that De Zerbi will be leaving Brighton and Hove Albion by mutual consent after tomorrow’s final Premier League game of the season with Manchester United.

Although he might seem an ideal fit for Milan, having grown up in their youth academy, it seems as if De Zerbi is not on the Rossoneri’s wish-list.

He was assumed to be heading towards Bayern Munich, who this afternoon finished third in the Bundesliga under Thomas Tuchel.

However, director Max Eberl told ZDF reporters today that he could “deny” the next coach is going to be Italian.

De Zerbi heading to Napoli?

Some Italian sources including Enrico Varriale of RAI Sport suggest that maybe De Zerbi is the secret candidate who has been in the background for Napoli while the talks drag on with Antonio Conte.

It would be a return for the man who turns 45 next month, as he was on the Napoli books for years as a player, then made his Serie A debut as coach of Benevento.

De Zerbi went out on a lot of loan moves, but still played 42 competitive games for the Partenopei, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

He plays with the same 4-3-3 formation that President Aurelio De Laurentiis stated last year he was looking for to continue the work done by Scudetto-winning Luciano Spalletti.

The day after he was sacked, Juventus players continue to pay tribute to Max Allegri, with Danilo, Dusan Vlahovic, Tim Weah, Filip Kostic and Kenan Yildiz among those sending messages.

The coach was fired on Friday afternoon with a statement noting that his behaviour during and after the Coppa Italia Final victory over Atalanta was “incompatible” with the values of the club.

Paolo Montero, a former defender who is currently in charge of the Under-19 youth team, is going to sit on the bench for the final two games of the Serie A season.

Meanwhile, players got over the initial shock and have been sending messages to say goodbye to Allegri.

“I thank you for everything and will never forget you,” wrote teenage Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz on Instagram.

 

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A post shared by KENAN YILDIZ (@kenanyildiz_official)

Danilo was named captain of the team by Allegri and reminded the coach of his own motto.

“Ciao Max, you always said that words don’t count for much, it’s action that matters. But I still wanted to make those words public,” wrote the Brazilian.

“Victories are always wonderful, but they do not always allow us to grow, whereas difficult moments force us to mature and allow us to see what every individual is made of.

“Having said that, our moments of difficulty over the last three years were immense, and you and your staff never let go, never allowed us to stop fighting even for one day.

“This lesson will remain with us forever, in football and in life. This means being Juventus! Thank you for everything. Ciao Mister.”

 

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A post shared by Danilo (@daniluiz2)

Vlahovic and Gatti thankful for Allegri lectures

Vlahovic had his clashes with Allegri on the touchline and in training, but showed he recognised it was for his own good.

“It is important to thank those who welcomed you as a youngster and helped you to become a man. Thank you for everything Mister! Thank you also to your staff: Landu, Trombe, Aldo, Prof and Stefano.”

 

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A post shared by DV9 (@vlahovicdusan)

Defender Federico Gatti had a similar approach to his salute.

“Thank you for the faith, the advice and the telling off. I will always be grateful, Mister.”

 

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A post shared by Federico Gatti (@federico_gatti2406)

Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot, who had already written yesterday that Allegri “deserved a better goodbye” to the Bianconeri, confirmed he was anything but offended by that behaviour in the Coppa Italia Final.

Rabiot commented on the Instagram page of L’Equipe describing his coach going ‘completely mad’ with the response: “Greeeeeeeat Mister!”

It was also noted that during the incident that got Allegri sent off, Andrea Cambiaso was standing on the touchline visibly loving every moment of the jacket, tie and shirt tearing antics.