Enrico Passarella, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti has revealed that his decision to leave Napoli wasn’t born out of thin air after winning the title but had been coming.

Spalletti Not Planning Major Overhaul of Italy Squad

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Italian Football, Italy, Serie A, The Azzurri

Luciano Spalletti will soon be formally introduced as the new Italy coach and will begin his stay with two key matches against North Macedonia and Ukraine. He’ll issue his first squad list Friday. He’s mulling some changes compared to the Roberto Mancini era.

Fiorentina have set sights on Aster Vranckx, although the deal has slowed down significantly after seeming on the verge of going through before the weekend.

Fiorentina Initiate Talks to Acquire Former Milan Bust

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Fiorentina, Italian Football, Serie A, Transfer Market, Wolfsburg

Fiorentina have set sights on Aster Vrankx, although the deal has slowed down significantly after seeming on the verge of going through before the weekend. The Viola have lodged an offer to sign him outright from Wolfsburg. The Bundesliga outfit appeared keen on accepting a €7M bid.

Inter and Lazio have finalized the agreements to onboard Benjamin Pavard from Bayern Munich and Matteo Guendouzi from Olympique Marseille respectively.

Inter and Lazio Await Pavard and Guendouzi for Medicals

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Bayern Munich, Bundesliga, Calciomercato, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Lazio, Ligue 1, Marseille, Serie A, Transfer Market

Inter and Lazio have finalized the agreements to onboard Benjamin Pavard from Bayern Munich and Matteo Guendouzi from Olympique Marseille respectively. Both players are expected to arrive in Italy Tuesday and take the medicals Wednesday. The latter comes in on an initial loan with the obligation to make the transfer permanent

Torino almost sent Alessandro Buongiorno to Atalanta last summer, and they’ll face a bigger threat in 2024, as Inter and Juventus have earmarked him.

Atalanta Continue Audacious Pursuit of Torino Talent

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Atalanta, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2023-2024, Spezia, Torino, Transfer Market

Atalanta have Alessandro Buongiorno atop their wish list to bolster the defense. He’s not for sale in Torino’s mind, but some makeweights might allow the deal to go through. On top of Aleksej Miranchuk, the Granata have shown interest in Duvan Zapata, who almost joined Roma last week.

A few sides are hoping Mehdi Taremi ends up at Milan, as it would unlock a few moves. The veteran is pushing to complete the switch to the Rossoneri.

Taremi Joining Milan Would Trigger Multi-Team Domino

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Cagliari, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Monza, Porto, Serie A, Transfer Market

A few sides are hoping Mehdi Taremi ends up at Milan, as it would unlock multiple moves. The veteran is pushing to complete the switch to the Rossoneri, but Porto continue to put up strong resistance, even though he has just ten months left on his contract.

Matias Soulé has officially joined Frosinone on loan from Juventus Monday night, while Kaio Jorge will do the same shortly.

Juventus Loan Duo to Frosinone, Keep Midfield Pair

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Frosinone, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2023-2024, Transfer Market

Matias Soulé has officially joined Frosinone on loan from Juventus Monday night, while Kaio Jorge will do the same shortly. The South American duo picked the Ciociari over other destinations to garner more Serie A experience. The Bianconeri wanted to trim the squad following their exclusion from the cups.

Roma and Chelsea didn’t discuss only Romelu Lukaku during their recent meetings, as the former showed interest in defender Malang Sarr too.

Roma Probe a Second Potential Acquisition from Chelsea

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Chelsea, Italian Football, Premier League, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2023-2024, Transfer Market

Roma and Chelsea didn’t discuss only Romelu Lukaku during their recent meetings, as the former showed interest in defender Malang Sarr too. A positive outcome isn’t very likely, but the Giallorossi will try to add another man in the back in the next couple of days.

Inter set a deadline to conclude the signing of Benjamin Pavard, but they are optimistic all the pieces will fit in the right places in time.

Inter Hope to Expedite Proceedings to Purchase Pavard

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Bayern Munich, Bundesliga, Calciomercato, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Premier League, Serie A, Serie A 2023-2024, Torino, Transfer Market

Inter set a deadline to conclude the signing of Benjamin Pavard, but they are optimistic all the pieces will fit in the right places in time. The two parties have long concurred on the figures, but Bayern Munich, and especially Thomas Tuchel, wish to sign a new starting-caliber defender.

Alexis Saelemaekers is headed to Bologna, which successfully saw out the negotiation, and Milan wish to part ways with Divock Origi too by Friday.

Milan Send Misfit to Bologna, Seek Suitors for Others

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Bologna, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2023-2024, Torino, Transfer Market, Udinese

Alexis Saelemaekers is headed to Bologna, which successfully saw out the negotiation, and Milan wish to part ways with Divock Origi too by Friday. Despite their demands, they eventually okayed a loan deal for the Belgian winger. He’ll take the medicals for the Felsinei Tuesday.

Allegri saw his Juventus struggle to create chances against Atalanta, as they were restricted to a xG ratio of 0.19, their lowest in recent memory.

Allegri Addresses Bonucci Controversy with Stern Words

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Serie A, Serie A 2023-2024, Transfer Market

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke candidly about the Leonardo Bonucci saga. The defender has been frozen out at the beginning of the summer. The coach stated that he had been informed of the decision a while back in an interview: "We informed him in February."

Just one day after Genoa were reported to be interested in Diego Demme, Fiorentina have also emerged as a viable destination for the German midfielder.

Genoa Interested in Out-of-Favor Napoli Midfielder

August 29, 2023 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Genoa, Italian Football, Napoli, Serie A, Transfer Market

Genoa are trying to shop from the big teams and, on top of Leonardo Bonucci, have Diego Demme in their crosshairs. Similarly to the Juventus stalwart, the midfielder has been excluded from the technical plans for this season, although less blatantly. His move to Hertha Berlin has falled through.

The whole Roma brass flew to London to negotiate with Chelsea, and they’ll return to Italy with Romelu Lukaku after concurring with the Blues.

Roma Strike Deal with Chelsea to Sign Lukaku on Loan