Diego Godin, Leonardo Bonucci and other top players have been linked with moves to and from the Italian top flight in recent news.
Europe’s top clubs have officially missed out on Icardi, Benfica’s Swede sensation Victor Lindelof is a target of the blue half of the San Siro and Thiago Silva’s agent hasn’t ruled out a return to AC Milan, where he made his name and became the world’s most expensive defender, for a while.
Mauro Icardi Extends with Inter Milan
There was a lot of speculation surrounding the future of the Argentine striker in the summer and a number of clubs were interested in buying the striker, including English heavyweights Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
The Gunners were reportedly willing to part with Olivier Giroud and €35 million for the striker and the two parties were scheduled to meet in London to discuss a possible transfer. Their cross town rivals Spurs were reportedly willing to offer €45 million for his services.
But now Calciomercato report that in his new contract, which runs up till 2021, the Nerazzurri have installed a €110 million release clause, and that is one which can only be activated by a club outside of Italy. Speaking to the club’s official website, he insisted that he always wanted to stay at the club and that he hoped to lift many trophies with Inter in the future. The club Captain has scored 58 goals in only 114 appearances for the club at only 23 years of age, giving him one of the best goals-per-game ratios in the history of the club.
Inter Milan Target Victor Lindelof
The the 22-year-old defender was a target for Chelsea and Manchester United during the summer transfer window, who were both looking to reinforce their defensive ranks. The Blues were reportedly willing to offer £25 million for the Swede and Manchester United were reported to have made a £20 million offer for him as well.
The Águias had maintained one of the finest defensive records in all of Europe last season and Lindelof was an integral part of that back-line. Since breaking into the team last season, he’s managed to hold down that starting spot ever since.
Calciomercato had reported earlier in the week that the the Nerazzurri have zeroed in on the center back and have made him their top priority for the January transfer window. They have sought the assistance of Kia Joorabchian, who played an integral role in Inter’s acquisition of Joao Mario from Sporting Lisbon, to help see the move through.
In a recent report, the Italian outlet insist that the €30-million-rated Victor Lindelof will be brought in to replace Colombian center back Jeison Murillo, who has failed to impress since the start of the season. The 24-year-old defender was subject to interest from many top clubs who were looking to take advantage of Inter’s financial woes at the time.
Notable clubs included Chelsea and Arsenal, and he was rated at £20 million. Murillo hasn’t had the best of starts to the season, one of the many under performers for Frank De Boer’s side. Lindelof is considered a good long term replacement as Inter reportedly believe that Murillo is still too ‘raw’ and is unlikely to ‘prosper’ in the first team.
Juventus Set Sights on Diego Godin
Despite having a superb summer transfer window which saw them acquire the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic, Mehdi Benatia and Dani Alves, Juventus are looking to strengthen even further in every aspect. The departure of Martin Caceres leaves few options in the Juventus defence as they try to maintain the class in the back 3.
Andrea Barzagli is 35 years of age and Leonardo Bonucci is a target for a number of European clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City and may leave in the summer or January. Mehdi Benatia is currently injured, thus exposing the Biaconeri’s lack of depth in defence.
According to Calciomercato, the Rossonerri have set their sights on Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin. Godin has 2 more years on his current contract with Atletico. It is unlikely that the Spanish club would want to sell one of the best defenders in the world as they look to keep challenging for the Champions League on a regular basis.
Since joining Atletico in 2010, the Uruguayan has gone on to become one of the most reliable players for Simeone and Los Rojiblancos, helping them to 6 major trophies and 2 Champions League finals. Transfermarkt currently values the defender at €40 million, a price that Juventus can easily afford with the money they received from the transfer of Paul Pogba.
Manchester City Prepare Offer for Bonucci
Mere days after it emerged that Roman Abramovich would be willing to fund a world record move for Leonardo Bonucci, TMW report that Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are also willing to make a £60 million offer for the Italian international. At Juventus, the 29-year-old has gone on to become arguably the best center back in the game. With Chelsea and Manchester City’s defensive problems getting out of hand, it is unsurprising that they would be willing to part with such a huge sum for the center back.
It was revealed earlier that Bonucci had never contemplated making a move away from Turin this summer due to his 2-year-old son’s health problems. Manchester United were also one of the big clubs trying to make a move for the Italian, but it never materialised.
Last month, Goal reported that Bonucci admitted that the prospect of joining Guardiola’s Manchester City revolution was tempting, but he decided to follow his heart in the end. “I did give it some thought. Guardiola’s insistence destabilised me a little. I did not speak to Pep directly, it was just an exchange of thoughts with my agent. It was tempting, but I decided to follow my heart in the end.”
Silva’s Agent Doesn’t Rule Out AC Milan Switch
The Brazilian center back is currently on contract with PSG till 2018, but a clause in his contract states that should PSG fail to qualify for the Champions League, he would be allowed to depart the Parc De Prince. Speaking to Calciomercato, Silva’s agent Paulo Tonietto didn’t rule out a move back to AC Milan and that many clubs were interested in his client.
Tonietto went on to say that he would evaluate his client’s future along with the club and that they wouldn’t renew it should PSG fail to qualify for Europe’s greatest competition. Speaking about a possible move to AC Milan, he said “He’s in love with AC Milan. He loves the club and the city. We’ve had no contact with the Italian club and Thiago Silva is still under contract with PSG, but a return to AC Milan could be possible if we don’t sign a new contract. The rossoneri have good chances to qualify for the Champions League.”
Silva spent 3 good years at the San Siro where he went on to become one of the best center backs in the world. With Antonio Conte and Chelsea also reported to be interested in the 32-year-old, a move to a far more competitive league may soon be on the cards.
