Enrico Passarella, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Eden Hazard Expects to Be Ready for Euro after Injury-Riddled Season

June 1, 2021 Enrico Passarella Belgium, Euro 2020, Manchester City, Real Madrid

Eden Hazard believes he will recover by the start of Euro 2020. The Real Madrid star missed the final part of the season with a thigh problem. He played just 21 matches in the 2020/21 campaign because of multiple injuries. He also voiced his support for Kevin De Bruyne and commented on the return of Thierry Henry as an assistant while speaking in a presser from the Belgian camp.

Lazio Zeroing In on Maurizio Sarri After Juventus Move on Contract

June 1, 2021 Enrico Passarella Italian Football, Juventus, Lazio, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021

Lazio are going all-in on Maurizio Sarri to replace Simone Inzaghi on the bench. As expected, Juventus did not pick up the third-year option included in the previous contract of their former boss and paid a penalty instead. Director Igli Tare met the gaffer personally yesterday and president Claudio Lotito is poised to do the same later in the week to close the deal. The coach showed appreciation for the roster.

Manuel Locatelli Is Juventus Top Target, But They Need to Act Quickly

June 1, 2021 Enrico Passarella Barcelona, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Sassuolo, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Juventus will add at least one midfielder in the summer, and their main priority is Manuel Locatelli. The coaching change has not affected their plans, as they have been after the Sassuolo player for over a year. The Bianconeri brass will have a summit later this week to lay out the transfer market plans. Massimiliano Allegri already informed the management that he wants a pure playmaker.

José Mourinho Contacted Gianluigi Donnarumma to Talk Him into Roma

June 1, 2021 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Gianluigi Donnarumma will be without a team in a month and Roma tried to join the race to sign him for free. José Mourinho personally called him to ask if he would be willing to join Roma. The goalkeeper answered that his future is in the hands of Mino Raiola. Barcelona and Juventus are seen as more likely destinations at this stage, but they already have quality starters on the roster.

Atalanta Owner Takes Three Coveted Attackers Off the Transfer Market

May 31, 2021 Enrico Passarella Atalanta, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Atalanta do not want to break up their front-line in the upcoming window. Therefore, they are set to reject the offers for Duvan Zapata, Luis Muriel, and Ruslan Malinovskyi. President Antonio Percassi weighed in on multiple topics in an interview but did not mention Robin Gosens among the untouchable players. He was more tentative on the future of Josip Ilicic and Pierluigi Gollini.

Milan Eyeing Bologna Up-and-Comer Alongside Multiple Serie A Clubs

May 31, 2021 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Milan are among the Serie A teams eyeing Bologna midfielder Jerdy Schouten. The 24-year-old pivot fits the profile of the prospective signings the Rossoneri will attempt to bring in this summer. Atalanta, which seek an alternative to Marten De Roon, and Napoli are also interested in the Dutchman. His price tag is around €18M and his future could be connected to Sinisa Mihajlovic.

Chelsea Targeting Romelu Lukaku but Inter Will Put Up Major Resistance

May 31, 2021 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Chelsea will try to add a world-class striker in the summer and have inserted Romelu Lukaku in their wish list. The Blues are among the clubs interested in Harry Kane and Erling Haaland but face major difficulties in those deals. The return of the Belgian international could be more attainable because of Inter’s economic troubles, but the Nerazzurri do not want to sell the star striker.

Alvaro Morata was on the brink of leaving Juventus in January. Barcelona, and especially coach Xavi, pushed to sign him. He stayed, and things have changed.

Juventus Start Building Attack by Making Decision on Alvaro Morata

May 31, 2021 Enrico Passarella Atletico Madrid, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Juventus are set to retain Alvaro Morata by activating the €10M clause to extend the loan for another season. They tried to re-negotiate the fee with Atletico Madrid to get a discount, but their efforts were unsuccessful. They will have a €35M option to permanently acquire the striker in 2022. The Spanish striker previously played for two seasons under Massimiliano Allegri.

Torino Move on from Davide Nicola, Poach Ivan Juric from Hellas Verona

May 28, 2021 Enrico Passarella Hellas Verona, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Torino

Torino have successfully managed to pry Ivan Juric away from Hellas Verona, putting under contract one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the Peninsula. Despite avoiding relegation, Davide Nicola was not retained past the expiration of his season-long contract. Juric is coming off two strong campaigns with the Scaligeri.

Juventus Reunite with Massimiliano Allegri after Sacking Andrea Pirlo

May 28, 2021 Enrico Passarella Italian Football, Juventus, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021

After two years, Massimiliano Allegri is back on the Juventus bench. The return of the coach was officially announced Friday. He signed a contract until 2024 and will reportedly make €9M per year. The Bianconeri beat the fierce competition coming from Real Madrid, Inter and Napoli by giving him more sway. Andrea Pirlo was axed earlier today after one season.

Growing Murmurs About Cristiano Ronaldo Looking to Leave Juventus

May 28, 2021 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, PSG, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Qualifying for the Champions League in the final Serie A round gave Juventus a chance to keep Cristiano Ronaldo, but his future still hangs in the balance. The return of Massimiliano Allegri on the bench will not necessarily be the deciding factor, but the two surely were not seeing eye-to-eye in their previous seasons together.

Achraf Hakimi Linked to European Powerhouses as Inter Mull Departures

May 28, 2021 Enrico Passarella Bayern Munich, Calciomercato, Inter Milan, Italian Football, PSG, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Transfer Market

Inter plan to make a significant profit in the next transfer market window and that will inevitably go through the sale of one of their stars. While there are no untouchable players, the management would like to limit the loss to only one of them. Achraf Hakimi has already received the first bids and the interest is plenty for all their top contributors.

Author: Enrico Passarella