Hot on the heels of the Premier League decision to resume playing matches next month behind closed doors, it has announced that Serie A would also e resuming its season next month.
Italy’s top flight is to get back underway from June 20, all being well, with the Coppa Italia semifinal second legs and final to be held during the week prior.
It means four of Europe’s top-five leagues are committed to finishing the coronavirus-disrupted campaign, with only Ligue 1 having declared the season over.
Chelsea are reportedly in the hunt for Mauro Icardi, as PSG struggle to agree a permanent transfer for the on loan striker with his parent club Inter Milan.
The Argentina international joined the Ligue 1 champions, awarded the 2019-20 title after the season in France was cancelled last month, on a season-long-loan at a cost of €13m, scoring 20 goals in 31 competitive games. PSG had an option to make the loan permanent for €70m.
With Edinson Cavani leaving on a free transfer, PSG are keen to do a deal but don’t want to pay the full price, and had an offer of €50m plus €10m in bonuses rejected by Inter last week, who want the full price for the Argentina international.
Italian Minister for Sport Vincenzo Spadafora confirms Serie A could resume ‘on June 13 or 20,’ while there is the possibility of showing games free to air on television.
Italy is already well into Phase Two of the coronavirus pandemic response, with deaths and new cases falling daily for several weeks.
“We are working on two possible dates to begin Serie A games, on June 13 or 20,” Spadafora told Rai TG3.
“The protocol arrived for resuming the season and it is very similar to the one that was agreed for training. On Thursday, we’ll decide if and when to resume.”
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly ready to ask Inter Milan to either extend Mauro Icardi’s season-long loan for another campaign or reduce the sum of the option-to-buy clause in his contract.
Icardi joined the Ligue 1 side during the summer on a season-long loan after being left out of Antonio Conte’s plans at Inter Milan, losing his place to Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in attack.
The Argentine has done well during his season with PSG, who now the club want to re-negotiate the terms of his loan deal, according to L’Equipe.
Juventus were the first big club to demand wage concessions from their players when Serie A stopped playing, a move that others across Europe quickly followed.
Are Juve trendsetters again as they have become the first Italian club to launch their own salary cap? Will other clubs follow this lead, leading to a reduction in wages across the top clubs in Europe?
From next season, the Serie A giants will hand out contracts worth a maximum of €9million a year, which works out at around €173,000 a week.
According to the Corriere della Sera, only three out of 20 Serie A clubs – Juventus, Lazio and Genoa – have approved the medical protocols for returning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Football in Italy has been shut down for six weeks and the Government lockdown measures should be eased from May 4, including a return to training with social distancing.
However, the FIGC protocol to ensure player safety has not been entirely welcome, with the Corriere della Sera newspaper claiming only three out of 20 clubs and their medical staff have approved the system.
Inter Milan are desperate to sell former captain Mauro Icardi, but they don’t want to sell him to domestic rival.
Which is why when Inter sent Icardi on loan to PSG last summer, they included a clause that if PSG purchased Icardi and then immediately sold him to another Serie A club, that Inter would receive an additional €15m.
To take Icardi on loan, PSG paid a €13m loan fee and covered his wages. Icardi for his part settled in well in Lique 1, scoring 20 goals and adding four assists in 31 competitive games.
One of the stories of this summer’s transfer window is the future of Inter Milan’s talented young striker Lautaro Martinez.
Martinez has a €111m release clause in his contract that can only be activated during the first two weeks of July. Lots of clubs have been linked with the Argentina international, none more so that Barcelona.
Barcelona have been tapping up Martinez in the press since November with Luis Suarez even getting involved.
Not everyone thinks this is the time for the 22-year-old to leave Inter. Martinez’s Argentine compatriot Hernam Crespo, who played more than 50 times for Inter, believes the best thing for his career would be to stay put.
It looks like Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is going to get his wish and finally complete a move to Inter Milan in the summer as a free agent.
Giroud tried to push through a move to Inter in January after a frustrating first half of the season with Frank Lampard’s side, but Chelsea blocked the move due to a lack of alternative options up front at Stamford Bridge.
Giroud is desperate to play regular first team football next season as he wants to be part of the French side at the Euro’s next summer.
Interesting news from FCInter1908.it that Suning Real Estate have become an official partner of Inter.
“Suning Real Estate has officially become an authorised partner of Inter Football Club,” the statement said. “The two companies will work together to create a beautiful community that integrates the experience of Italian style and sports culture.
“Adhering to the goal of continually pursuing product enhancement and superior service, Suning Real Estate will use Inter’s unique cultural characteristics and Inter Design’s creative concept to develop the operating mode of innovative scenes and integrate the Italian aesthetics with culture.”