SERIE A – Page 39 – Football Flame

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Mario Balotelli set to resume training with Brescia

ALLIANZ STADIUM, TORINO, ITALY - 2020/02/16: Mario Balotelli of Brescia Calcio greet the fans at the end of the Serie A match between Juventus Fc and Brescia Calcio. Juventus Fc wins 2-0 over Brescia Calcio. Mario Balotelli is set to resume training on Thursday following medical tests amid a legal battle with Brescia, according to football-italia.net The former Liverpool, Manchester City and Milan striker had a note from his personal doctor stating he had gastroenteritis and would not be available for training until Wednesday. He then turned up to the training ground on Tuesday as he felt he had recovered but he was turned away at the gate because his medical certificate wasn't valid. It followed reports in Italy that Balotelli had been fired by the club following a bust-up wit...
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Report: Brescia to terminate Balotelli Contract

Brescia's Italian striker Mario Balotelli pictured in the wamr up before the Serie A match between Brescia Calcio and SSC Napoli at Stadio Mario Rigamonti on February 21, 2020 in Brescia, Italy.  Brescia are set to terminate Mario Balotelli's contract after the Italy striker failed to return to training ahead of Serie A's restart this month, Italian media reported on Saturday. Balotelli, 29, signed a three-year contract with his hometown club last year after they earned promotion to the top flight for the first time since 2011. Balotelli has earned a reputation as a troublemaker during a career in which he has played for Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice and Olympique de Marseille, and won 36 international caps. Sky Sports reported Balotelli was involv...
SERIE A

Serie A Confirms June 20 Restart Date

The logo of the Serie A before the Serie A match between AS Roma and US Lecce at Stadio Olimpico on February 23, 2020 in Rome, Italy. Top-flight football has been given the go ahead to resume in Italy from June 20. Italy's Minister for Sport, Vincenzo Spadafora, said that Serie A would be allowed to restart following a conference call involving the league, the players' association and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). The league has been shut down since March 9 and there are four matches outstanding from week 25 of the competition. The Coppa Italia semi-finals are set to be played on June 13, if the Government grants permission with sporting events currently banned until June 14, with the hope that the competition can be completed before the league resumes a week later. ...
SERIE A

Chelsea FC reportedly make transfer decision on Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga

Jeremie Boga of Sassuolo celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and AS Roma at Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore on February 01, 2020 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. Chelsea FC have decided not to use their buyback clause to re-sign Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga in the summer transfer window, according to a report in England. The Guardian is reporting that Chelsea FC made the decision to pass over the chance to sign the 23-year-old in upcoming transfer window despite his impressive performances in Serie A this term. The same article states that the Blues had the option to re-sign Boga in a £13m deal after he came through the youth system at Stamford Bridge before he moved to Sassuolo in 2018. According to the same story, Chel...
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AC Milan striker Ibrahimovic suffers calf injury

AC Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic takes part in a training session of Swedish league team Hammarby IF at Tele 2 Arena on April 17, 2020 in Stockholm. Zlatan Ibrahimovic injured his calf while training for the anticipated restart of Serie A with AC Milan on Monday. The forward will undergo medical exams on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury, the club said. Serie A has been suspended since March 9 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league is hoping to restart on June 13 if the government approves. The 38-year-old Ibrahimovic rejoined Milan in December on a six-month contract with an option for next season. During the virus lockdown in Italy, Ibrahimovic trained with Swedish club Hammarby, of which he is part owner. Ibrahimovic scored three goals in ...
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Napoli and AC Milan competing for signing of Freiburg star Robin Koch

Robin Koch from Freiburg looks at the ball. AC Milan and Napoli have both set their sights on Freiburg defender Robin Koch, with the Partenopei ready to make an offer to land their target. The Rossoneri are expected to bring in Ralf Rangnick at the conclusion of the season, and as a result several Bundesliga names are being linked with a move to the San Siro. Sport Mediaset reports one name being considered is Koch of Freiburg, who has openly said he is looking to take the next step in his career. The 23-year-old’s contract expires at the end of 2021, and as a result Freiburg are expected to cash in on him this summer. One obstacle standing in Milan’s way is Napoli, who have also made their interest in the German known. It’s believed the Partenopei are preparing a bid of ...
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Serie A sets new date for completion of Italian season

In this photo illustration a Serie A logo seen displayed on a smartphone. A Federal Council meeting between Italian Football Federation (FIGC) chief Gabriele Gravina, Lega Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino and major stakeholders from Serie A, Serie B and Serie C was held on Wednesday to discuss a revised calendar for the suspended seasons. The Italian top flight, suspended since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, had hoped to resume on June 13, but the season will remain on hiatus until at least June 14 after a decision made in line with a recent government decree. It was agreed by the council that the current season in the top three divisions should be completed no later than August 20 to allow for the Coppa Italia tournament to conclude at the end of the month. A new f...
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Arsenal Loanee Henrikh Mkhitaryan wants Roma move permanent

Henrikh Mkhitaryan of AS Roma during the UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match between KAA Gent v AS Roma at Ghelamco Arena on February 27, 2020 in Gent, Belgium. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is hoping to bring down the curtain on his nightmare spell at Arsenal by making his loan move at Roma a permanent one this summer. The Armenian forward has struggled to find his feet in the Premier League ever since he completed a £26million move to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund in 2016. The 31-year-old was then used in a swap deal with Alexis Sanchez, that saw him move to the Emirates two years later. Since then, the winger has failed to impress, having scored just nine goals in 59 appearances for the Gunners which saw him shipped out on loan last summer. The move to Roma ha...
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Cristiano Ronaldo prepare for Juventus training return on Tuesday after two-week quarantine

The number seven Juventus shirt of Cristiano Ronaldo displayed on May 6, 2020 in Manchester, England. Cristiano Ronaldo will be allowed to return to Juventus training on Tuesday after completing his coronavirus quarantine. The Portugal international has been unable to meet up with team-mates after being in two-week isolation after flying back from Madeira, where he had spent most of the lockdown. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star left Italy shortly after Serie A was suspended at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But after teams were given the green light to resume training at the start of the month, Ronaldo flew back to Turin, along with his family. However, he was obliged to spend 14 days in quarantine in order to comply with national security measures de...
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Higuain returns to Italy as Serie A prepare to resume play

Gonzalo Higuain of Juventus sits on the bench during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Olympique Lyon and Juventus at Parc Olympique on February 26, 2020 in Lyon, France. Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain became the final Juventus player to return to Italy on Friday as Serie A prepares to return to action on June 13. Higuain arrived in Turin by private jet on Friday afternoon after a stopover in Las Palmas and was driven away by a waiting car. The former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Napoli player will now spend two weeks in quarantine, according to media reports. The 32-year-old international left Italy on March 19 to be with his sick mother in Argentina after a test confirmed he was negative for coronavirus despite three of his teammates testing positiv...
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AC Milan target Argentina U23 Striker Nahuel Bustos

Nahuel Bustos of Argentina observes during the friendly match between Mexico U23 and Argentina U23 at Hidalgo Stadium on October 15, 2019 in Pachuca, Mexico. A new name has appeared in terms of AC Milan’s targets to reinforce the attack ahead of next season, reports in Spain claim. It is seemingly no secret that Milan are in the market for a new striker this summer with doubts over the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the desire of Elliott Management to embark on a new youth-led revolution. According to Estadio Deportivo (via MilanLive), Talleres striker Nahuel Bustos is among the players that Milan are looking at view of the next transfer market window. Rossoneri scouts were in South America to watch him before the season was halted due to the Coronavirus emergency. Competition...
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Milan star Ibrahimovic return to Italy ahead of Serie A resumption

AC Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic attends a training session of Swedish league team Hammarby IF at Arsta IP on April 13, 2020 in Stockholm. AC Milan star returned to Italy on Monday after two months in his native Sweden, as Serie A prepares to resume group training in a week's time.  Ibrahimovic was photographed arriving in Milan wearing a facemask and gloves before being driven to the team's training centre at Milanello. The Swede is expected to spend two weeks in quarantine before joining his teammates who resumed individual training last week. Group training is set to start again on May 18. The 38-year-old returned to Sweden on March 12 days after Serie A was suspended as the coronavirus pandemic swept through Italy and Europe. Ibrahimovic has been busy trai...
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Atalanta teenager Andrea Rinaldi passes away

Andrea Rinaldi(R) of Atalanta BC celebrates after scoring goal 2-2 during the U17 Serie A Final match between Atalanta BC and FC Internazionale on June 21, 2017 in Cesena, Italy. Atalanta midfielder Andrea Rinaldi has died aged 19 after suffering a brain aneurysm on Friday while training at home during the coronavirus lockdown. Rinaldi was part of the youth system at Atalanta and had been on loan at Serie D side Legnano this season. "Always available and positive, he knew how to make himself well-liked by everyone," said an Atalanta statement. Legnano described Rinaldi's death as "a sudden and shocking tragedy, impossible even to imagine". Legnano's statement, which confirmed the cause of death, added: "Andrea fought for three days after the illness that hit him. Unfortunate...
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Inter Milan ask price tag for Chelsea Loanee Victor Moses

Victor Moses of FC Internazionale reacts during FC Internazionale training session at Appiano Gentile on February 25, 2020 in Como, Italy.Inter Milan have reportedly asked Chelsea to drop their asking price for Nigerian utility player Victor Moses.According to Calcio Mercato, the Italian club are unwilling to match Chelsea’s €12 million price tag.Inter head coach Antonio Conte remains eager to sign Moses on a permanent deal at the end of his loan spell with the club. The Nezarrurri though will require Chelsea to drop their evaluation of the player if he is to complete a permanent switch to the San Siro at the culmination of the 2019-20 season.Moses spent the first half of the current campaign on-loan at Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce, but left the Istanbul-based club almost exactly a ye...
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Juve star Cristiano Ronaldo held back in team training after returning to Italy

Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Juventus during team warm up before the Lyon V Juventus, UEFA Champions League, Round of Sixteen, 1st leg match, at Groupama Stadium on February 26th 2020 in Lyon, France.Cristiano Ronaldo will not be allowed to train with his Juventus teammates despite finally returning to Italy after two months of coronavirus lockdown.The Portugal international has been self-isolating with his family in Madeira but has now arrived back in Turin.Ronaldo landed in Italy on Tuesday on the same day that many of Juve's stars reported back to the club's training ground.The forward and his family flew back in his £20million Gulfstream G200 Galaxy plane.But he is now being forced to complete 14 days of quarantine because he entered Italy from another country.The 35-year-old is hoping to h...
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Fiorentina reportedly demands loan extension for Cristiano Biraghi and Dalbert

Cristiano Biraghi of FC Internazionale celebrates the equalizing goal scored by an own goal of Georgi Terziev of Ludogorets (not in frame) during the UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match between FC Internazionale and PFC Ludogorets Razgrad at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on February 27, 2020 in Milan, Italy.Fiorentina have asked Inter about the possibility of extending the loans of Cristiano Biraghi and Dalbert for a further season according to a report in today’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport.Biraghi joined Inter on a season long loan this past Summer and Dalbert went in the opposite direction and joined La Viola on a season long loan too.Inter chief executive Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Marotta finds the prospect of a loan extension to be interesting given the lack of money expected t...
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Cristiano Ronaldo to return to Juventus ahead of Serie A resumption

Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (L) warms up with Juventus' French midfielder Blaise Matuidi in the empty stadium as the match will be played behind closed doors due toi the novel coronavirus before the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Inter Milan, at the Juventus stadium in Turin on March 8, 2020.Juventus star striker Cristiano Ronaldo is returning to Italy on Monday after being in quarantine in his native Portugal since March, according to ESPN. The veteran goal-scoring machine had been in his hometown of Madiera with his family since March 8, which came one day before Serie A action was stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ronaldo's mother had suffered a stroke back in March, prompting his trip home. Ronaldo returning isn't a sign that games a...
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Ancelotti: 'Milan 2005 Squad was even better than the 2003 version'

Carlo Ancelotti of Everton before the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on March 8, 2020 in London, England.Although they failed to take home the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti believes his 2005 AC Milan squad was better than the sides that won in 2003 and 2007.The Rossoneri famously saw a 3-0 lead evaporate in just six minutes, as Liverpool fought back to claim an unlikely triumph in Istanbul in 2005.Ancelotti believes that star-studded squad was the best he coached while at the San Siro, as they were technically superior in his eyes.“The 2007 side was technically inferior to the 2005 one, which remains the best team with the best performance in a final,” he said during an Instagram Live video. “That 2005 side was even better than the 2003 version.“We ...
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Costa: 'Dybala my best teammate'

Juventus players Douglas Costa and Paulo Dybala during a training session at JTC.Juventus star Douglas Costa says Paulo Dybala, not Cristiano Ronaldo, is his best teammate.Costa, 29, was speaking via Instagram live from his native Brazil, where he is seeing out the COVID-19 pandemic until football resumes in Italy.“I hope to return to Italy soon,” Costa said. “I can’t wait to get back, partly because I don’t know what to do here anymore.”When asked in the Q&A who his best teammate at the club is, he gave a surprising reply."The strongest teammate is Paulino [Dybala]," he said. "Then of course also Ronaldo."Costa and Dybala are close friends, but Ronaldo, 35, is having his best season at Juventus.The Portugal legend has scored 21 goals (three assists) in 22 Serie A matches, compared to ...
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Ashley Young to sign one-year deal with Inter Milan

Ashley Young of Inter Milan.Inter Milan are ready to hand Ashley Young an extension to his contract that will keep him at the San Siro until next summer.Young only joined the Serie A side back in January on a six-month deal from Manchester United and has gone on to feature seven times since making the move.But in that short space of time he has done enough to convince manager Antonio Conte of his worth and Inter are now ready to trigger an extension in his contract to keep him until the end of next season according to the Guardian.Young, who is 35-year-old in July, has already accepted terms of a new deal following talks with the club.He will now look to focus on completing the season with Inter who still hold realistic hopes of grabbing silverware on three fronts.Although their Serie A ho...
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