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Real Madrid and Napoli to Complete loan deal for James Rodriguez

According to Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport, Napoli has agreed to personal terms with James and now just need to reach an agreement with Real Madrid. The report states that Napoli would prefer a one year loan with an option to buy over an immediate transfer. If Real agrees to this then it would bring an end to a 5 year run that has found James struggling to find the form that made him a star at the 2014 World Cup.Real fans had high hopes for James when he joined the squad after seeing him win the Golden Boot at the World Cup earlier that summer. That first season was his best with Real as he managed 13 goals and 13 assists in La Liga in his 29 appearances. Unfortunately, he saw his playing time decrease each of the next two years after Carlo Ancelotti was replaced by Zinedine Zi...
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Juventus Confirm Appointment of Sarri

Juventus have confirmed the appointment of Maurizio Sarri on a three-year deal.The Italian leaves Chelsea for the Bianconeri after a solitary season at Stamford Bridge.Despite opposition from a section of the Blues support, Sarri guided the Blues back to the Champions League with a third-placed finish and won the Europa League during his time in south-west London.He also reached the final of the Capital One Cup, where Chelsea were beaten on penalties by Manchester City.Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: "In talks we had following the Europa League final, Maurizio made it clear how strongly he desired to return to his native country, explaining that his reasons for wanting to return to work in Italy were significant."He also believed it important to be nearer his family, and for the ...
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Higuian to See Out Juventus Contract – Agent

Gonzalo Higuain is determined to see out his contract at Juventus, despite speculation about him moving to Roma, his brother and agent Nicolas Higuain has said. The former Argentina international was loaned to Chelsea from Turin in January of last year, appearing in 14 Premier League games and bagging five goals in the process. He has now returned to the Bianconeri and intends to play two more seasons at the Allianz Stadium, with Juve being the only club he’d consider playing for in Italy, according to his representative. “Gonzalo wants to respect his contract and therefore stay with Juventus for another two years,” Nicolas Higuain said. “His performances at Juve have been good and playing for another team in Italy isn’t a workable solution. “I don’t want to disrespect anyone, but if Gonza...
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AC Milan Bring in Maldini and Boban in Backroom Revamp

Paolo Maldini has been named AC Milan's new technical director, while Zvonimir Boban has been appointed to the newly created role of chief football officer. Milan icon Maldini replaces Leonardo in the post, with the Brazilian reported to be returning to a similar post at former club Paris Saint-Germain. Boban, who played for the club between 1991 and 2001, has left FIFA - where he was the body's deputy secretary general - to return to Milan. Maldini previously worked as Milan's sporting strategy and development director but Ivan Gazidis, the club's chief executive, feels he is the right man to succeed Leonardo. Boban and Maldini will work closely together, with the former team-mates reuniting on the Rossoneri's backroom staff.
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Allegri to Take Sabbatical from Football

Massimiliano Allegri says he will take a year away from football after being sacked by Juventus due to neglecting aspects of his private life over the past 16 years. The Italian wants to spend more time with family and friends after his tenure in Turin ended following mounting pressure during the 2018-19 season. Juventus still won Serie A under Allegri's guidance but were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-final stages by Ajax, prompting widespread calls for the head coach's dismissal. And despite some talk he could do a job swap with Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, with the former Napoli boss seemingly poised to replace him at Juve, Allegri has confirmed his intention to take time away from the sport. "I am going to take a year off to recharge the batteries and take my personal...
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AS Roma appoint Paulo Fonseca as New Head Coach

AS Roma have appointed Paulo Fonseca as their new coach with the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss signing a two-year contract, the Italian Serie A club said on Tuesday.Fonseca, who Ukrainian club Shakhtar to the league and cup double three years in a row between 2016 and 2019, replaces Claudio Ranieri, who was appointed in March on a temporary basis until the end of the season.“I am very pleased to be appointed the head coach of AS Roma,” Portuguese Fonseca said in a statement. “I want to thank the club’s management for the opportunity they have given me. I am excited and motivated by the task ahead of us.”The 46-year-old is a permanent replacement for Eusebio Di Francesco, who was sacked in March, and AS Roma said they had the option of extending his contract by a year until 2022.“Paulo is a ...
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Midfielder Bernardeschi Backs Sarri To Take Over at Juventus

Federico Bernardeschi believes that Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri would be a good fit at Juventus, but is confident that no matter who the club chooses to hire they will bring great value to the side.Bernardeschi thinks the 60-year-old would be a good fit for his club moving forward."I don't express myself, we have a club with great decision makers, therefore whoever arrives means that they'll be at the top and bring something more for each player," he told reporters."As a player I can say that Sarri is a valid profile to me, but I don't know if he will be the next manager."
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Sarri Reaches Agreement with Juventus

Maurizio Sarri has reached an agreement with Juventus to become the Serie A champions' next head coach and has requested Chelsea release him from his contract to join the Bianconeri, as per reports.Fali Ramadani, Sarri's agent, met with Chelsea management Friday to discuss his client's future with the club as a move to Turin draws closer and closer.The 60-year-old Sarri intended to wait until the end of the season, and specifically the Europa League final, to consider the subject of what came next in his career.But the Chelsea boss has received an offer from Juventus that would pay him €7 million (£6m/$8m) to succeed Massimiliano Allegri, who had coached the Bianconeri to five straight league titles, at the club.Ramadani relayed news of that offer to Chelsea, as well as Sarri's request to ...
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Icardi Aiming to Stay Another Year at Inter Milan

Inter striker Mauro Icardi wants to remain at the club for "at least another year", according to his wife and agent Wanda Nara.The Serie A club confirmed that former Chelsea and Juventus boss Antonio Conte had been appointed as Luciano Spalletti's successor on Friday morning and it remains to be seen what the future holds for Icardi.Press reports in Argentina and Italy had claimed that the Italian had specifically requested that he doesn't want Icardi as part of his squad when he was in negotiations to take over at San Siro.But TyC Sports claims that Wanda Nara has refuted those suggestions and insisted that the 26-year-old wants to remain at Inter for at least another season.She said: "He has one-and-a-half years left on his contract and his intention is to continue at Inter for at least ...
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OFFICIAL : Inter Milan Name Conte as New Coach

Antonio Conte was this morning announced as the new head coach of Internazionale, replacing Luciano Spaletti, who was officially dismissed yesterday.This marks the return of Conte to management, following his sacking by Chelsea last July as well as the protracted and quite unseemly 10-month legal battle that followed over severance payments. But that nonsense is now over, with Chelsea reportedly agreeing in arbitration to pay in full the £9m compensation that was due, and all involved could move on with their lives.Conte will certainly have his work cut out for him at Inter, who are far from the dominant force in Italian football that they once were. It is however a rather typical Conte assignment: another reclamation project at a fallen giant. After his successes at Juventus and Chelsea, ...
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Luciano Spalletti Sacked as Inter Milan Manager

Luciano Spalletti has been sacked as Inter Milan boss, with the Italian club expected to replace him with former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.Spalletti, who had a contract until 2021, led Inter into the Champions League for the first time in six years in the first of his two seasons.This year his side finished fourth in Serie A and were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.Conte has been out of the game since being dismissed by Chelsea last July.Inter secured a Champions League spot on the last day of the season by beating 2-1 on Sunday to finish level on points with third-placed Atalanta.
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Gazidis Wants Maldini as Milan Technical Director

Paolo MaldiniAC Milan chief executive Ivan Gazidis wants to appoint Paolo Maldini as technical director following Leonardo's departure.Leonardo stepped down as sporting director on Tuesday, the same day head coach Gennaro Gattuso resigned from the Serie A club.Gattuso himself had confirmed his departure earlier on Tuesday, saying he is walking away despite having two years remaining on his contract, while Leonardo had only been in his job for one season.Milan are set for a busy off-season after missing out on Champions League qualification by just one point and CEO Gazidis is eyeing a new role for club great Maldini, who is the team's sporting strategy and development director.Gazidis, who offered thanks to both Leonardo and Gattuso as the two left the club , hopes to "bring Milan back to ...
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AC Milan miss out on UCL spot despite SPAL win

AC Milan endured a bittersweet 3-2 win at SPAL in the last round of the Serie A, finishing the campaign outside the top four after their nearest rivals both booked their Champions League berths on Sunday.The result left Milan fifth on 68 points, one behind third-placed Atalanta and fourth-placed city rivals Inter, meaning they will have to be content with the Europa League next season.Atalanta came from behind to beat Sassuolo 3-1 at home while Inter eked out a 2-1 win against relegated Empoli at the San Siro.“I am happy with the development of my players, I think many of them have improved a lot,” said AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso, whose future with the club is uncertain. “We can still get better although it will not be easy to improve this season’s 68 points.“The biggest regret is...
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Reports: Inter Want Lukaku, Moses After Conte Joins

Inter Milan want to sign Romelu Lukaku and Victor Moses this summer; once they have appointed Antonio Conte as their new head coach, as per reports. The former Chelsea boss is expected to replace Luciano Spalletti at Inter next week, according to reports in Italy, and both players are believed to be on his wishlist.Conte tried to sign Lukaku in the summer of 2017 when he was still at Stamford Bridge, but the striker opted to move to Manchester United from Everton instead.The Belgium international has scored 42 goals in 96 games for United, but failed to score in his last eight games this season and often found Marcus Rashford chosen ahead of him as the team's central striker after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became manager.
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Juve striker Cristiano Ronaldo named Serie A MVP

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Serie A MVP award for the 2018-19 season, his first in the Italian top division.Per Football Italia, he won the award calculated via statistics, thanks to his 22 goals and 11 assists in 33 matches across all domestic competitions. The award is an official distinction from the league, with Ernst & Young putting the list together using data from Opta Sports and Netco Sports.Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Inter Milan's Samir Handanovic, Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella and AS Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo were the other winners, the latter being voted Best Young Player and the others picking up the positional awards.
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Allegri on Juventus exit: 'Now I can go to the beach a little bit'

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has broken his silence after the Italian club announced his imminent departure. The 51-year-old is set to leave the Bianconeri this summer and will be in charge of his last home game when his side welcomes Atalanta to the Allianz Stadium for the penultimate Serie A encounter on Sunday.Allegri was appointed as the manager of the Turin club five years ago and has won the league title in each of those years. Having signed Cristiano Ronaldo last summer for a club-record fee, the Old Ladies were looking to the Italian coach leading the club to its first Champions League title in 23 years.However, the Juve was met with the dismay of crashing out in the quarter-finals of as a result of a shock 3-2 aggregate defeat to Ajax. With the Italians hav...
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Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini to miss Atalanta clash

Giorgio Chiellini has been ruled out of Juventus’ home clash with Atalanta on Sunday due to a calf injury.The Bianconeri enter the contest having already clinched this season’s Scudetto, while La Dea remain in the thick of the Champions League chase as they enter the match in fourth, three points up on Roma and AC Milan.Atalanta’s chances have received a boost as Sky Sport Italia reports Chiellini did not train with the Juventus first team on Thursday, and as a result he will miss out on the clash.Meanwhile Mario Mandzukic did take part in the session, and it’s believed he could be named to the squad for the match.Leonardo Bonucci also returned to training with his teammates and it’s expected the 32-year-old will feature in the contest as well.
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Roma confirm Daniele De Rossi will leave at the end of the season

Daniele De Rossi will leave Roma at the end of the season, the club has confirmed.The Italian legend is in his 18th season at the club having made his debut in 2001.He's featured 614 times for Roma, scoring 63 times.His final game for the club will come against Parma on May 26.Roma president Jim Pallotta told the club’s official website, per Goal: “For 18 years, Daniele has been the beating heart of AS Roma’s team.“From his debut in 2001 to taking on the responsibility of the captain’s armband, he always represented the Roma fans on the pitch with pride as he established himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe.“We will all shed tears when he pulls on the Giallorossi shirt for the last time against Parma but we respect his desire to prolong his playing career - even if, at almost 3...
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Juventus set to face Inter at Nanjing

A clash of the titans will unfold at Nanjing Olympic Sports Center on July 24 when Relevant Sports Group (RSG) presents an epic International Champions Cup match featuring two of Italy's top clubs  Juventus and Inter Milan in the storied Derby D'Italia.The century-old competition is renowned internationally for the extraordinary passion it evokes on the pitch and in the stands, and this year's showdown marks the first time Chinese fans will witness it on home soil.Juventus and Inter are two of the most popular international clubs in China. Recent successes, including winning eight consecutive Serie A titles ("the scudetto") and last year's signing of global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, have helped grow Juventus' Chinese fanbase exponentially.In 1978 Inter became the first top European...
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Chelsea loanee Bakayoko clashes with manager Gattuso during win over Bologna

Tiemoue Bakayoko clashed with AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso on the bench during Monday’s 2-1 win over Bologna.Bakayoko, who is on loan at the San Siro from Chelsea, started the game among the Milan substitutes but was asked to warm-up by Gattuso after Lucas Biglia suffered a first-half injury.A conversation took place between manager and player, before Bakayoko appeared to tell Gattuso to ‘f*** off’. Gattuso brought on Jose Mauri instead and Bakayoko remained on the bench for the remainder of the game.“I told Bakayoko to warm up, he took his time and I chose Mauri,” Gattuso said after the match.“I have 27 players, we wear a glorious shirt and I must be objective and honest in everything I do. I waited seven or eight minutes, he still had not put on his shin pads so I made that choi...
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