Cerci, Podolski, Balotelli, Sneijder. One thing is certain: the big Italians are certainly not waiting for New Year's Eve to give away bangs and twists. The market is not officially open yet (it will only be open on Monday 5 January) but the maneuvers have already begun and, in some cases, even ended. This is the case of Milan, so far the most active of all on the income/exit front. The Torres-Cerci exchange, which enlivened the Christmas days, is now history. Brilliant operation: the Rossoneri get the much sought-after winger in the summer and, at the same time, get rid of the Spanish attacker, who went from hit to market flop in the space of a few months. Furthermore, it is a reinforcement leaked to Inter, so sure of having the former grenade in hand as to lead Mancini to expose himself publicly. Instead, Galliani won, who on the 5th morning will try to register him in record time, so as to be able to see him on the pitch the next day against Sassuolo.
The operation, for a whole series of reasons, forced the nerazzurri to move and even quickly. It is no coincidence that Ausilio spent the holidays in London, where he was able to deepen the discussion relating to Lucas Podolski with Arsenal. German, 29-year-old offensive winger, the player could be the first reinforcement asked by Mancini. With Wenger we can't talk about an understanding yet (“nobody's leaving for now” the words of the French coach) but certainly the latest developments (90' on the bench in the victory over West Ham) let us understand that, soon, it will be like this. Podolski should arrive at Inter with the dry loan formula, with any redemption to be reviewed at the end of the season.
But the German won't be the only winter reinforcement: Mancini has asked for another winger and a central midfielder and the club will do everything to satisfy him. The first could be one between Salah (Chelsea), Januzaj (Manchester United) and Afellay (Olympiacos via Barcelona), provided that, in the end, the twist par excellence does not take place, that return of Mario Balotelli, however opposed by most of the Inter world, as well as from off-market figures. In the midfield, the candidacies of Lassana Diarra are always strong (she has already undergone her medical but must first resolve the pending with Lokomotiv Moscow), Capoué (Tottenham) and Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), the latter first goal (but watch out for Napoli) . Nothing to do instead for Lavezzi, Mancini's true dream. Pocho is indeed breaking up with Laurent Blanc but PSG do not intend to deprive themselves of it now: he will talk about it again in June.
The Juventus market is less frenetic but still interesting. The Lady is certainly better off than the other homegrown big names, which is why Marotta will be able to afford to calmly evaluate what to do. What is certain, however, is that Barzagli's conditions are very worrying and force the backlog to be strengthened. Caceres' flexibility (he can play both in the middle and on the right) keeps various possibilities open: a central defender (Rolando) or a full-back (Montoya) could arrive. The Porto defender (ex Napoli and Inter) is the favourite: the negotiation with the Portuguese for a loan with the right to buy is very advanced. However, the 23-year-old Spaniard is liked, also because it would be considered a reinforcement of perspective. However, the resistance of Barcelona remains to be overcome which, strengthened by a release clause of 20 million, continues to ask for 15: Marotta has never gone beyond 7.
The big news on the black and white market, however, partly revealed by the general manager himself, is the search for an attacking midfielder, one who will allow Allegri to develop even better the 4-3-1-2 formation, by now the main formation of the team. There are three names in the running: Bayern Munich's Shaqiri, Hull City's Ben Harfa and Galatasaray's Sneijder. It goes without saying that, for obvious reasons, it is precisely the Dutch ex Inter who excites the imagination of the fans the most. The negotiation would seem feasible given the delicate economic situation of the Turks, but the problem is that Sneijder has already played in the Champions League and therefore could only be used in the league and the Italian Cup. On the other hand, the usual problems that had already blocked the deal in the summer persist on the Swiss player from Bayern (15 million the request, hitherto unshakable, from the Germans) while the Frenchman, once considered a potential phenomenon, is going through a very difficult moment in the small Hull City .
A practically official blow instead for Napoli: today, barring surprises in the medical examinations, Ivan Strinic will sign, the Croatian full-back arriving from Dnipro to replace Ghoulam, the next departure for the African Cup. Manolo Gabbiadini will soon join him, whose purchase was formalized some time ago.
