Enrico Passarella, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Calhanoglu to Reconsider Milan Offer, Tonali Poised to Be Bought Out

June 9, 2021 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Barcelona, Brescia, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Hakan Calhanoglu has not received strong offers besides the Al-Duhail one and is now contemplating accepting the previous Milan proposal. The Turk initially rejected €4M annual wages as he was looking for more. In the meantime, the club has reached an agreement with Brescia to acquire Sandro Tonali permanently. They got a €10M discount between the fee and the bonuses by tweaking the deal and inserting a youngster.

Chelsea Trying to Hijack PSG Deal for Inter Star By Offering Two Players

June 9, 2021 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Italian Football, PSG, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Chelsea have joined PSG in the race to sign Achraf Hakimi from Inter. The Moroccan right-back is their centerpiece that has the most chances to leave this summer. However, the Nerazzurri have held firm in their demands and have rejected €60M offers from both sides. The Blues could have an advantage because they have some bargaining chips such as Emerson Palmieri and Andreas Christensen that could entice the Italian club.

Two Swedish Players Get COVID, Florenzi Names His Euro Favorites

June 8, 2021 Enrico Passarella Euro 2020, Italian Football, Italy, Sweden, The Azzurri

After Sergio Busquets and Spain, COVID has hit another national team before the Euro as Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg tested positive. Sweden are hopeful he will be able to return after the opening match and will not replace him right away. Alessandro Florenzi spoke from the Coverciano training center, indicating that France is the team to beat in the Euro and that he believes Italy to be among the challengers.

Roma Make Offers for Torino and Wolves Mainstays, Hopeful on Xhaka

June 8, 2021 Enrico Passarella Arsenal, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Torino, Transfer Market

Roma are looking to renovate their backbone and are trying to complete three transfers early in the window. They are pushing to sign Andrea Belotti, Rui Patricio and Granit Xhaka, however Torino, Wolverhampton and Arsenal have rejected their initial bids. They are hoping the players, who are all keen on joining them, will pressure their respective clubs to force their way out. Sardar Azmoun is an alternative for the front-line.

Juventus Want a Dominant Midfielder, Eye Some Familiar Names

June 8, 2021 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Lazio, Manchester United, Sassuolo, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Massimiliano Allegri has indicated that adding a physical midfielder should be the top priority for Juventus in the upcoming window. He would like to acquire somebody who is already accustomed to Serie A. Paul Pogba and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are the ideal targets, but club will have to tread carefully between its technical needs and its finances this summer. They likely have the budget for just one pricey signing in such position.

Massimiliano Allegri has signed off on onboarding Arkadiusz Milik, and Juventus also deepened the contacts to bring in Leandro Paredes.

Van de Beek and Milik to Miss Euro Due to Injury, Spain Facing COVID

June 8, 2021 Enrico Passarella Euro 2020, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, The Azzurri

Euro 2020 lost two more well-known players as Donny van de Beek and Arkadiusz Milik will sit out due to injuries. The Dutch star missed the warm-ups and has not been able to recover, while the Polish striker is dealing with a meniscus problem. Neither will be replaced by their respective coaches. Spain has called up five new players to be ready if there were further Coronavirus cases inside the squad after Sergio Busquets.

Two Chelsea Midfielders Draw Interest from Milan and Lazio

June 8, 2021 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Calciomercato, Chelsea, Italian Football, Lazio, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

After Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud, Milan have laid their eyes on another Chelsea player: Hakim Ziyech. The former Ajax did not have a great first season in Premier League and could be sold for the right offer. He is also on Napoli and Roma's radar. Maurizio Sarri instead instructed Lazio to make an attempt to sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who spent the last campaign on loan at Fulham and could join with the same formula.

Gianluigi Donnarumma Nearing Agreement to Join PSG on a Free

June 8, 2021 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Barcelona, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Paris Saint Germain, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

The Gianluigi Donnarumma saga is set to soon come to an end as the goalkeeper has reportedly agreed to terms with PSG. The French club outbid the other contenders by offering a five-year, €60M contract, with €12M annual wages, plus add-ons. Juventus and Barcelona were in the race but never proposed a deal as rich. Milan decided to move on in late May and signed Mike Maignan from Lille to replace him between the sticks.

Hellas Verona Officially Hire Eusebio Di Francesco to Fill Their Opening

June 7, 2021 Enrico Passarella Hellas Verona, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021

Eusebio Di Francesco is the new Hellas Verona coach, succeeding Ivan Juric on the bench. The Scaligeri cast a wide net once their previous coach opted to join Torino. They bet on the Italian gaffer’s desire to bounce back after two rough stints with Sampdoria and Cagliari.

Bonucci Praises Mancini and Rallies the Azzurri Ahead of Euro Debut

June 7, 2021 Enrico Passarella Euro 2020, Italian Football

Leonardo Bonucci held a presser today from Coverciano to discuss Italy’s chances in the Euro. “The wait is finally over. Some national teams may be more equipped than us, but we are right there, and we want to reach the final stages of the competition. Roberto Mancini is a top manager and added a lot of enthusiasm and lightheartedness, which ease the pressure off of the players. The return of the fans will add a lot of adrenaline."

Barcelona to Eye Roma Linchpin If Wijnaldum Snubbed Them for PSG

June 7, 2021 Enrico Passarella Barcelona, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Transfer Market

Barcelona are interested in Lorenzo Pellegrini as a plan B in case they missed out on Georginio Wijnaldum, as likely. The Blaugrana have long seemed poised to land the former Liverpool midfielder on a free transfer, but the French club hijacked the deal at the last minute. They will turn the attention to the Roma star once that will be confirmed. Pellegrini is not under contract long-term with the Giallorossi and has a low release clause.

Donnarumma Closer to PSG as Szczesny Denies Buzz of Juventus Exit

June 7, 2021 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Barcelona, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, PSG, Serie A, Transfer Market

Gianluigi Donnarumma might play the Euro as a free agent, as no team has offered him the contract he is looking for yet. Mino Raiola recently met with PSG to address also other matters. The French club currently leads the race and could decide to meet his demands, even though they are satisfied with Keylor Navas. In the meantime, Wojciech Szczesny stated that he has not had any talks with Juventus about a possible departure.

Author: Enrico Passarella