Tag: Italy

“I want to return to Inter,” Romelu Lukaku says

Sky Sports Italy have released a teaser of an interview with Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku whose comments have sent shockwaves throughout the Chelsea fan base.

Lukaku rejoined Chelsea from Inter Milan for £97.5 million in the summer, ten years after he left the club to seek more opportunities.

The striker has scored a decent seven goals in 18 appearances for the Blues but has struggled to show his Inter form due to injuries, COVID-19 and Thomas Tuchel’s tactics.

The 28-year-old striker spoke to Matteo Barzaghi of Sky Sports Italy about his feelings following the move from Inter, his time at Chelsea, and his love for Italy.

“After two years in Italy, where I worked so hard at Inter with the fitness staff and nutritionist, I feel better than ever,” the former Manchester United man.

“However, I am not happy with the situation at Chelsea, that is normal. I think the coach chose to play a different system, I just have to not give up, keep working and be professional. I am not happy with the situation, but I’m a hard worker and I mustn’t give up.”

Lukaku apologises to Inter fans

Inter supporters turned on the 28-year-old and called him a ‘traitor’ for asking the club to accept Chelsea’s transfer offer.

Lukaku has always wanted to return to Stamford Bridge and didn’t hesitate to take the chance when it came knocking.

Now Lukaku has expressed some regrets on the way the transfer player out and apologised to the fans of the Nerazurri.

“It wasn’t meant to happen like that,” Lukaku said. “The way I left Inter, the way I communicated with the fans, this annoys me, because this might not be the right time to say it, but back then it didn’t feel like the right moment either.

“Now I think it’s right to speak, because I said that I will always have Inter in my heart and I genuinely hope to one day go back to play there. I am in love with Italy, this is the time to let people know what really happened, without bad-mouthing anyone, because that’s not my style.

“I want to apologise to Inter fans, because I think the way I left should’ve been done differently. I should’ve spoken to you first, because the things you did for me, for my family, my mother, my son, those will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“I really, genuinely from the bottom of my heart hope to come back to Inter, not at the end of my career, but while I am still at the level to win more trophies.”

Lorenzo Insigne to follow in compatriots footsteps with move to MLS

Lorenzo Insigne looks to be on his way to the American Major League Soccer after reportedly agreeing terms with Toronto FC.

Insigne will be breaking the hearts of many European clubs, most notably Tottenham Hotspur and their manager Antonio Conte, who were the frontrunners for the dimunitive Italian’s signature.

Tottenham have slowly built themselves back into a challenging team under the guidance of Conte after falling apart under Nuno Espirito Santo at the beginning of the season. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has promised to back the Italian in his efforts, starting with a squad rebuild this January.

Insigne, who is currently at loggerheads with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, was identified as a key target this summer by Conte. However, the midfielder has chosen to instead move to the MLS with Toronto FC at the age of 30, following the footsteps of compatriot Sebastian Giovinco who moved to the same club at just 28 years old.

Insigne joined Napoli as a teen and has starred for the Parthenopeans since breaking into their senior team in 2012, winning two Coppa Italias and a Supercoppa Italiana in that time. The club currently sits in third place in the Serie A after spending quite some time at the top this season, but look to be as dangerous as ever as they continue their charge for the Serie A title.

The winger is reportedly not keen on leaving his boyhood club but the hierarchy led by De Laurentiis is not willing to meet his wage demands to sign a new contract.

As a result, Insigne has chosen Toronto FC as his new destination, disappointing Conte and Spurs according to SportMediaset and MLS official correspondent Michael Singh. The media outlet claims that Insigne chose this destination out of his love for Napoli, as he would not like to face the club in European competition which could be very likely if he moves to another European club.

The reports also claim that Insigne’s deal with Toronto FC is worth £8 million a year in basic salary with an additional £3.8 million in performances add-ons, linked to personal goals and targets for the next five years. In contrast, Napoli is offering the winger £3 million per year.

 

Insigne’s move to MLS a lifestyle choice, not a footballing one, claims former agent

Lorenzo Insigne’s former agent Antonio Ottaiano has called his former client’s potential move to the MLS a ‘lifestyle choice’ more than a career one, while also saying that Insigne is leaving Napoli for ‘exhibition football, not a proper competition.’

“It’s a lifestyle choice more than a career one,” Ottaiano told Radio Marte after the news broke.

“A decision like this means playing a very different type of sport. It’s exhibition football, not a proper competition. We’d need to see what his priorities are, who he is getting advice from.

“Naturally, we Italians struggle to understand a move like this, yet Giovinco did it. Only those who are in this situation can understand how much the salary pushes them to accept or not.”

Toronto is also reported to be pushing for a January move and is willing to pay Napoli a transfer fee to make it possible, but it remains to be seen if Insigne or Napoli will take the MLS side up on the offer.

 

Cristiano disrupted Juventus team dynamics, claims Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon has become the latest player to criticise Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Juventus.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to the Turin side in 2018 for a club-record €100 million fee. His signing was greeted with much enthusiasm and fanfare, even leading to marked improvements for the club’s social and financial stock.

His impact was so big that it also led to marked improvements for the Serie A in general who saw much more attention paid to the league due to the superstar’s arrival.

Ronaldo was signed by Juventus for his UEFA Champions League pedigree, with hopes that he could lead The Old Lady to the title that has evaded them since 1996. In the three seasons he spent at the club, however, they failed to make it past the quarter-finals despite having reached two finals in the four seasons that preceded his arrival.

Ronaldo’s arrival, however, wasn’t met with total support by some figures at the club. Reports from April claim that manager Massimiliano Allegri, who coached Juventus in the season Ronaldo arrived before being sacked, was sacked because he asked the Juventus hierarchy to sell Ronaldo.

Former Juventus Chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli was never in support of the signing from the onset, claiming that it was a ‘huge mistake’ and that Juventus would never be able to fully ‘recoup the investment’.

Following the Portuguese’s departure in the summer to Manchester United, Juventus veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci came out at different times to also claim that Ronaldo made Juventus lose their identity.

“Cristiano’s presence had a big influence on us,” Bonucci said in September. “Just training with him gave us something extra but subconsciously players started to think his presence alone was enough to win games.

“We began to fall a little short in our daily work, the humility, the sacrifice, the desire to be there for your teammate day after day. Over the last few years, I think you could see that.”

Chiellini said of Ronaldo’s time at Juventus: “We had arrived at a point in our relationship where Cristiano needed new goals and a team that would play for him, because when he finds a team like that he is decisive,” he said.

 

 

“Ronaldo left on August 28, it would have been better for us if he had left earlier. We paid something for it, a little bit of a shock, we paid something for it in terms of points. If he had left earlier we would have had time to prepare better.”

Juventus lost their DNA because of Ronaldo, claims Buffon

Buffon, whose biggest goal is to win the Champions League before he retires, left the Allianz Stadium for Paris Saint-Germain in 2018. Following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, the then 41-year-old returned after just one season at Parc De Princes to play alongside Mr Champions League and achieve his dream of winning the title.

Buffon, now winding up his illustrious career at Parma in the Italian Serie B, has now admitted that the Ronaldo-Juventus partnership wasn’t the best because it harmed the rest of the squad.

“Juventus had the chance to win the Champions League the first year he arrived, which was the year I was at Paris Saint-Germain, and I couldn’t figure out what happened,” he told TUDN.

“When I returned, I worked with CR7 for two years and we did well together, but I think Juventus lost that DNA of being a team.

“We reached the Champions League final in 2017 because we were a side full of experience, but above all we were a single unit and there was this competition for places within the group that was very strong. We lost that with Ronaldo.”

Juventus chairman Andrea Angelli is the only key figure at the club who has defended Ronaldo’s signing for Juventus so far, even claiming that he would do it again if given the opportunity.

Speaking back in April in the heat of the European Super League drama, Agnelli said: “Wrong to take Ronaldo? Never,” he said.

“I would do it again tomorrow. And Pirlo too. Stability allows us to follow the path of growth by investing in young players and coaches even at their first experience.

“We brought Cristiano to Italy and his presence alone has guaranteed the other clubs €4 million at the box office.

“We wish to continue importing other champions with the benefits for all levels of football, from the youngsters to the amateurs.”

Ronaldo is Juventus top scorer in 2021

The Portuguese superstar may not like what the veterans have said but he can smile about his achievements at Juventus regardless. His smile will even be wider following the end of the year stats released.

Juventus have struggled since Ronaldo’s departure and currently sit fifth in Serie A, 12 points behind leaders Inter Milan. This is because they have been very poor in front of goal, with only 27 goals scored so far in 19 games – the least among the current top 10.

Juventus’ attack is currently so well below average, that despite Ronaldo leaving Juventus during the summer, he will finish 2021 as the Italian giants’ top scorer in the calendar year.

Ronaldo scored 20 times for Juve during the year with his last goal for the club coming all the way back in May. No one in Juventus has been able to match that feat, with the second on the table, Alvaro Morata, falling short by three goals and ending the year with 17.

Ronaldo scored 101 goals for the Turin club in 134 games before moving on to Manchester United where his goalscoring form has continued. At Old Trafford, Ronaldo has netted 13 times in 18 games for the Red Devils and is currently the club’s top goalscorer for the 2021/22 season.

 

Kepa Arrizabalaga and Maurizio Sarri set for reunion at Lazio

Maurizio Sarri has identified his former number one at Chelsea, Kepa Arrizabalaga, as an option for Lazio.

Kepa and Sarri shared the same space for one season when the Italian was the Blues’ manager. They won the Europa League in that time, but their time together will be remembered for an on-pitch disagreement that marked the beginning of the Spaniard’s troubles at the club.

Kepa has gone on to explain the whole incident as a big misunderstanding. “I tried to signal that I was OK, that I wasn’t injured. But we were at Wembley in front of more than 80,000 people, so of course Sarri didn’t understand me,” Kepa explained to The Players’ Tribune.

“When the fourth official raised the board, clearly I should have come off, and I’m sorry I didn’t.

“I was wrong, and I am sorry for everyone who was involved: for Maurizio Sarri, who it seemed like I had undermined in public; for Willy (Caballero), a teammate and a great professional; and for all my teammates and Chelsea fans who had to put up with everything – all the noise that was generated during the game and then in the days after.”

Kepa claims that he and Sarri have a good relationship and it looks like they are set for a reunion as Lazio look to free him from the uncomfortable situation he’s in at Chelsea.

Kepa seen as quick fix for Lazio, reports claim

Sport is the outlet making these claims, with the publication stating that the move for Kepa by Lazio and Sarri is geared at helping the club avoid a developing goalkeeper issue in the club.

Lazio’s current two goalkeepers, 39-year-old Pepe Reina and 26-year-old Thomas Strakosha, are both out of contract with Lazio in 2022 with no solution in sight.

Sport reports that a loan deal is what is being considered for the 27-year-old Spaniard who has only appeared five times this season for Chelsea because Thomas Tuchel trusts Édouard Mendy more.

He has been involved in three penalty shootouts this term, however, heling Chelsea to victories against their opponents with his heroic saves.

The loan operation may be a difficult one for Lazio as Chelsea will be losing Mendy to the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon next January and Kepa is the official second choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic set to leave Lazio in January

Elsewhere, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic could be leaving Lazio in January after his relationship with Sarri hit an all-time low, according to Italian outlet Tuttosport.

The Serbian has been linked with a move away from Lazio for a while now. That move could finally be happening this January as the midfielder has completely fallen out with Sarri.

However, his football has not suffered as both characters have put aside their personal differences to put the club first. Milinkovic-Savic has five goals and five assists in 17 games for Lazio as they chase Champions League football next season.

Manchester United are eyeing the midfielder as Paul Pogba’s replacement and can be a signing that Red Devils’ fans will get behind.

Allegri unfazed by Mino Raiola’s claims that De Ligt will move on from Juventus

Matthijs de Ligt’s agent, Mino Raiola, is in the news again talking about his client and this time, he has claimed that the former Kopa Trophy winner is ready for a new challenge.

Mino Raiola is a name many fans will have tired of hearing because the players he represents are some of the best in the game and he is always riding on that wave to make provocative statements.

Erling Haaland, one of Raiola’s clients is currently the target of many big clubs and the super agent has rode on that wave to make the race for Haaland look like a movie.

Asides being able to get his players into the biggest clubs for the biggest transfer fees, the agent is also very high maintenance which makes it difficult for many clubs to do business with him. Raiola is also in cahoots with many football big wigs and corporations.

All of these have served to make him a personality fans – and some football stakeholders – love to hate, but his clientele, contacts and track record make him one of the best in the game and deserving of the title, super agent.

This time around, Raiola is talking up a storm in the media about his client, Juventus defender Matthias De Ligt. The agent now claims that the 22-year-old Netherlands international is now ready for life after Juventus.

The former Ajax Amsterdam captain left his boyhood club for Italy in 2019 but has failed to totally justify the €75million transfer fee paid for him by Juventus, no doubt influenced by having Mino Raiola as his agent.

The young defender is now coming into his own this season as Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri has trusted him more than any other defender in the team this season.

His time learning from the veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci is finally paying off and the stats are there to prove it.

The young defender leads the rest of Juventus’ defence in aerial duels and tackles. In light of all these, Raiola has come out to state that the defender is now “ready for a new step”.

De Ligt’s next step is in the game, says Allegri

Raiola’s comment comes just a day after Juventus chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene told Bianconeri supporters to forget about the club making any big-money signings in January because the club wants to focus on footballing and financial stability.

Allegri was asked in a press conference about Raiola’s comments and if they were insensitive to Juventus’ current plight.

“What do I have to say? Repeat the question? Or not answer?” Allegri asked the journalists back.

“The next step for Matthijs is in the next game. He has to score a goal,” he went on.

“I haven’t heard what Raiola said. Matthijs is improving, he played really well in Bologna, he is 22 and has great quality, he can only improve as any other player, from Kulusevski to Chiesa and Rabiot.

“The growth must be our target, then we’ll see what happens in the market.”

Elsewhere, Barcelona will be looking to get into Raiola’s good books by doing him a favour which could be repaid with the opportunity to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

Ajax right back Noussair Mazraoui is looking to leave the Eredivisie champions in the summer and wants to play for Barcelona.

Barcelona President Joan Laporta is considering signing the right back as a way to get Raiola to consider Barcelona as a prime destination for Haaland in the summer.

Christian Eriksen and Inter Milan part ways

Christian Eriksen and Inter Milan have mutually parted ways as Italian national medical laws prohibit people with heart issues from active sports.

Eriksen suffered a cardiovascular risk in Denmark’s Euro 2020 game against Belgium in June and has been out of action in the months that followed as he recovered.

The Dane is now back to full fitness and ready to pick up from where he left off in his career. However, he will be playing with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for the rest of his career.

This issue has led to the club he was contracted to up until the unfortunate incident, Inter Milan, to end things with the 29-year-old because local health regulations will not permit Eriksen to keep playing in Italy.

“The club and the entire Nerazzurri family wish Christian all the very best for his future,” Inter said in the statement announcing the termination of the Dane’s contract.

“Although Inter and Christian are now parting ways, the bond shall never be broken. The good times, the goals, the victories, those Scudetto celebrations with fans outside San Siro – all this will remain forever in Nerazzurri history.”

Termination of Inter contract not the end for Eriksen

Italy’s laws are strict, but Eriksen could continue his career in another country where the rules are different.

Eriksen has begun his journey back to match fitness in his home country of Denmark at Odense Boldklub, the club where he started his career.

Eriksen leaves Inter after 60 games, eight goals and a Serie A title, and could begin anew very soon according to his agent Martin Schoots, who spoke to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.

Schoots confirmed that Eriksen is studying some proposals as he is not ready to call it quits on his career.

“I can confirm that Christian will continue to play football. Two clubs called me a few weeks ago,” Schoots told Gazzetta Dello Sport.

Ajax is one of the rumoured clubs, but transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has claimed the current Eredivisie champions are not interested.

The Eredivisie giants, who Eriksen played for between 2010 and 2013 currently employ the services of Daley Blind, who is also fitted with a pacemaker like Eriksen.

Elsewhere, Sergio Aguero had to call it quits on his professional career on Wednesday after suffering a heart issue of his own back in October.

The striker leaves football after winning several trophies for Argentina, Atlético de Madrid and Manchester City. 

Antonio Conte keen to bring Napoli forward to White Hart Lane in January

Antonio Conte has cast his nest into new waters with his latest efforts to sign Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne for Tottenham Hotspur in January, according to reports.

Italian journalist Fabio Santini has come out with claims that Spurs boss Conte is a big fan of the diminutive attacker who is currently leading his boyhood club to the Serie A title this season, contributing five goals in 18 games to their cause.

The 30-year-old, however, has a contract that expires in the summer and the negotiations for a new deal have proven extremely difficult between the club and Insigne’s entourage.

The Naples edition of the Italian newspaper la Repubblica newspaper has now come out with claims that Conte has taken note of the situation and has alerted the Tottenham Hotspur board to the Italian international’s situation.

Insigne is also linked with Juventus, Lazio and Internazionale in Serie A and Conte – who was his coach in the Italian national team between 2014 and 2016 – will have to put together a very interesting package to convince him to leave Italy for Spurs.

Insigne flattered by Conte’s interest, claims Italian journalist

Fabio Santini also reports that Insigne is aware and flattered by Conte’s interest in him. However, the Napoli captain is yet to decide if he will leave Napoli in January due to their current title charge.

“Antonio Conte is crazy about Lorenzo Insigne and would like the player as early as January… Lorenzo Insigne, of course, is flattered by the interest of both Conte and Tottenham, but he is undecided.

“He would not want to break up with Napoli during the current season,” Santini is quoted as saying on the issue.

Santini also alleges that Fabio Paratici, Tottenham Hotspur’s director of football, is going to play a key role in Insigne’s decision to remain in Serie A or move to England with Spurs.

Santini is also quoted as saying: “There have been meetings with Inter and Juventus, but Tottenham is the club closest to the player.

“The closest team to Lorenzo Insigne is Tottenham. Their executive, Fabio Paratici is courting him closely.”

Another plus for Spurs, according to Santini, is that Napoli’s owner Aurelio De Laurentiis will rather let Insigne leave Italy if he cannot find a deal to keep him at Napoli than sell him to a rival Serie A team.

“Aurelio De Laurentiis is not bothered, quite the contrary. The patron believes the English one could be the right solution because Il Magnifico would leave Italy and, consequently, would not join a rival Serie A club,” the journalist said.

It is not right that Lorenzo becomes a mercenary, says agent

Insigne’s agent Vincenzo Pisacane is unhappy with the way Napoli have handled the contract extension talks. The agent says that a deal is very far from being reached because Napoli’s proposal is “inappropriate”.

Pisacane told Corriere dello Sport: “We do not consider the renewal proposal to be appropriate, but it is not right that Lorenzo becomes a mercenary. We never asked for a bonus to sign, however, according to the president, the bonuses should be the overwhelming majority of the salary.

Pisacane also admitted that it will be difficult for his client to wear another jersey in the same league after so many years with Napoli, the club he joined at 15 years old.

“Divided in time, in education, in manners, in gestures. One day it will be right to tell what has happened over time. A great champion would have deserved more time,” Pisacane said.

“After so many years in a team, it is difficult to wear another jersey in the same league. An experience outside would do less harm like (Alessandro) Del Piero. But it’s my idea.”

Aaron Ramsey and Juventus seeking options to part ways

Reports have suggested that wantaway midfielder Aaron Ramsey is requesting a year’s severance pay to terminate his Juventus contract ahead of the January transfer window.

Aaron Ramsey earns around £400,000 a week at Juventus who he joined in 2019 on a free after 11 years at Arsenal. His four-year deal with the Old Lady came with a lot of high expectations for the midfielder who mad a name at the Emirates thanks to his goalscoring exploits among other qualities.

Yet, it has been a torrid time for the Welshman who has only played 70 games with only three full matches in two-and-a-half years. Juventus are now ready to count their losses with Ramsey and are seeking an amicable way to part ways with the Welshman.

Despite his signing not working out, Ramsey is still considered a model footballer at the Allianz Stadium and will free Juventus of their obligations to him if they pay him a severance package worth £6 million.

Italian outlet La Repubblica report that Ramsey has offers from Newcastle and former club Arsenal but will only terminate his contract with the Turin club if he receives the severance pay. Juventus, however, will take a loan offer in January as well if his salary can be covered.

Juventus changes in the dugout affected Ramsey, journalist claims

Italian journalist Francesco Cosatti had a chat with Sky Sports Italy a month ago as the news of Juventus looking for ways to offload Ramsey just broke.

“There are many aspects. First of all, the many injuries and physical problems. Ramsey has never finished two consecutive games in full at Juventus. This season, he has played 112 minutes across five appearances. It is really too little,” Cosatti said to Sky Sports Italy when asked why his signing never really worked out at Juventus.

“The pandemic has also changed all the habits of the players, in terms of how they work, and from that point of view it has certainly been more complicated for him.

“Then there is the triple change of coach in three years, from Maurizio Sarri, to Pirlo, to Allegri. This last season is definitely the most difficult for him,” Cosatti added.

Ramsey, however, continues to impress with Wales on international duty. Cosatti also put the feelings of the Juventus fans and hierarchy into perspective on the issue.

“I can only answer as far as the Juventus fans are concerned: they are surprised and wonder why in Italy Ramsey is unable to produce the same high-level performances,” he said.

“In Italy there is talk of ‘Doctor Aaron’ and ‘Mister Ramsey’ to make people understand his dual experience as a footballer. Right now, they are quite disappointed with his performances for Juventus.”

“The team-mates have a high regard for Aaron.” Cosatti added. “He is a nice guy who fits right in in the locker room. He is very polite and appreciated by all the staff on a human level.”

Juventus have to grit their teeth, manager Allegri says

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri was unhappy with his side’s performance against Venezia on Saturday and feels that they “threw away two points” against the Venetian side.

He also claimed his side “don’t realise when to play ugly” and says it’s been a recurring theme for them this season.

The Bianconeri missed Federico Chiesa, Dejan Kulusevski, Weston McKennie, Danilo and Aaron Ramsey due to injury. Arthur was dropped from the squad as a disciplinary measure after turning up late to training the day before the game.

The Old Lady couldn’t muster enough vim upfront and played out a drab 1-1 draw with Venezia, who were more than happy to take the draw and point.

Paulo Dybala limped off the pitch 12 minutes into the game to cause more headaches for Max Allegri. His exit also dulled the attack as Juventus could not finish the few chances they created.

Speaking on the issue after the game, Allegri said: “We ran a risk and it went badly. He went off on Wednesday with a muscular issue, we hoped he was better now, but that was not the case.”

Dybala’s replacement, Kaio Jorge, missed a chance to get Juventus ahead, while Juan Cuadrado and Thomas Henry flashed wide of the post as well.

Morata eventually broke the deadlock, tapping in from a Luca Pellegrini low cross to beat Sergio Romero, who had produced a fine stop to deny the Spanish striker and Federico Bernardeschi earlier, in the Venezia goal.

Venezia would come out firing on all cylinders after the break to equalise and steal a point from the game as Juventus continued to play timid football.

After the game, Allegri was asked if a top four finish was still realistic for Juventus this season.

“We mustn’t think about that,” he said. “We threw away two points today, two points we should’ve brought home.”

Allegri displeased with the performance

The Italian manager went on to talk about the game in a critical way.

“It was a good first half, we created chances, but then had this 10-15-minute blackout before the Venezia goal,” Allegri began.

“The same thing happened in Salerno, we were lucky then not to concede as they hit the post, so it’s something we clearly need to work on.

“We were under pressure, couldn’t play the ball to feet anymore, so we should’ve had patience with one or two balls over the top to the strikers, take some of the pressure off and let the moment pass, but we didn’t do that.

“We had to attack the space, force them into fouls and more yellow cards, but we threw away two points against a good Venezia.

“At the start of the second half, we were sort of wandering about, giving the ball straight back. Sometimes we don’t realise the game is getting ‘ugly’ and we don’t read the moment. Once that moment passed, we started playing again and pinned Venezia back into their own half, but the damage was done.

“We have players without a great deal of experience, as it was practically Kaio Jorge’s first ‘start’ and others too. The whole team was a bit sluggish after the restart.

“We can’t seem to realise when it’s the time to play pretty and those 10-15 minutes we ought to play ugly, grit our teeth and push through.”

Chelsea line up injured Leicester City man as Antonio Rudiger replacement

Chelsea have gone ahead to begin the search for Antonio Rudiger’s replacement as the contract standoff between the club and the player nears no end, and have settled upon Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana.

GOAL reports that the injured Leicester defender is the Blues’ major target in the coming summer transfer window as they prepare for Antonio Rudiger’s possible exit from the club.

The UEFA Champions League title holders have already been shopping for defenders and just missed out on Sevilla’s Jules Kounde before last summer’s window closed, thanks to some market shrewdness from Sevilla’s director of football, Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo (Monchi).

Trevoh Chalobah was given a chance instead to cover up for Chelsea’s defensive deficiencies after the deal for Kounde collapsed. The 22-year-old defender was officially promoted to the Blues’ first team in 2018 but has spent all that time away on loan.

This season, Chalobah has repaid Chelsea’s trust in him handsomely, but the club is still facing the prospect of losing three defenders at the end of the season.

Along with Antonio Rudiger, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Danish centre-back Andreas Christensen all have expiring contracts and are yet to reach any agreement over new deals with the club.

Rudiger’s case seems to be settled, as the Blues have reportedly resigned to losing the player in the summer and are making plans to move for Fofana as his replacement.

Fofana to cost the blues a handsome fee

Wesley Fofana joined Leicester City on a five-year deal from Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 during the summer window of the 2020/21 season for £36.5 million.

The 20-year-old centre-back impressed in his debut season, being a key part of the club’s FA Cup winning squad, the first in the Foxes’ history.

The France U-21 was expected to be a key part of the Foxes season but an injury to his fibula and ankle ligament, which required surgery to repair, in pre-season took him out of the Foxes’ plans for the rest of 2021.

Yet, Fofana continues to attract suitors, with Chelsea being the latest following their Rudiger situation.

Leicester City is expected to request a very handsome fee for the young Frenchman who still has three years left of his Leicester City contract.

Chelsea may have the capability to match Leicester’s demands but may not be willing to pay for a defender who only has one full Premier League season under his belt.

Chelsea offered De Ligt by Juventus

Reports have also claimed that Juventus have approached Chelsea to offer them their £280,000-per-week Dutch youngster, Matthias De Ligt.

GOAL reports that the Serie A giants have made this offer in a bid to cut down their astronomical wage bill.

The former Golden Boy award winner is reportedly happy at Juventus but his agent Mino Raiola has opened the door to his exit.

“De Ligt could leave Juventus at the end of the season,” Raiola said to journalists at the beginning of the season.

“This is how the market works, there are many clubs who are interested in his services.”

It looks to be a good deal for the West London side who have Rudiger and other defenders to worry about. However, the Netherlands youngster’s release clause of £125million may be too much for Chelsea to consider.

Thomas Tuchel, however, hopes that the club can keep Rudiger as he considers him a key part of his team.