Let the dancing begin. After the classic "autumn talk" it's time for the facts, with the winter market ready to go live. The negotiations, never like this year, promise to be quite interesting, because many will be trying to seize the right opportunities to strengthen themselves, all obviously trying to spend as little as possible.
The most active of the big ones is the Juventus, determined to correct the course of a season, so far, far below expectations. Allegri's main problem is the attack, currently the eleventh in the league on a par with Bologna and Sampdoria, so Cherubini's first mission consists inbuy a bomber jacket, obviously after selling someone. The number one starting candidate is Alvaro Morata, who had already agreed with Barcelona, which in turn was forced to replace Aguero: the Spaniard, once he learned that he was no longer part of the club's plans (which, let's remember, would have had to spend 35 million to buy him out from Atletico Madrid), said yes to court of Xavi, his admirer since his days with the national team, and is ready to move as soon as possible.
So now the negotiation between the clubs comes to life, currently stopped at exchange proposal with Depay, which, however, does not interest Allegri. The real goal of the coach from Livorno, in fact, is called Mauro Icardi, also leaving Paris: the idea is to collect enough from Morata to then start the operation with Leonardo, as far as it is possible that, in the end, everything will be resolved with the "usual" loans with right/obligation of ransom. The alternative to Icardi could be Aubameyang, now en route with Arsenal, while it is more complicated to get to Cavani, whose age/price ratio is less convincing.
The other man to cash in on to reinforce is Kulusevski, finished in Tottenham's sights. Conte and Paratici have proposed an exchange with John LoCelso, 25-year-old Argentine midfielder, finding an open chink: the negotiation is still far from being concluded, but Juve are interested in talking about it, given that there are many gaps even in the middle of the field.
The other hot news of this beginning of the winter market is related to Lukaku, protagonist of an outburst which caused a lot of discussion. "Here at Chelsea I'm not feeling well, I apologize to the Inter fans and I hope to return" the gist of his interview, which inevitably sparked an uproar. "His words were unfortunate, we will discuss them in private" Tuchel's curt reply, while the Nerazzurri fans made themselves heard with a banner that leaves little room for forgiveness ("it doesn't count who runs away in the rain, it counts who in the storm remains… Bye Romelu).
But beyond the environmental issues, both in London and in Milan, what everyone is wondering is whether the Belgian's return to Inter is really possible or not. There is no 100% certain answer, as always in the market, but it is clear that, if it did, it would be one of the most sensational operations ever, first of all for the figures, given that Chelsea bought him just 5 months ago for 115 million, with a salary of 12 million per season. In short, it is very unlikely that Abramovich will decide to loan him out for free (because that would be the case) only for tactical reasons, which is why it is very probable that Lukaku will remain where he is and that Inzaghi, in any case more than satisfied with his attack, will continue to do without him.
The real marketInter consists in finding a deputy Perisic, until now the only owner of the left wing, which is why Marotta and Ausilio are trying to take Lucas Digne (formerly Rome) from Everton, without however discarding the hypothesis Kostic, in summer very close to Lazio. These are the immediate plans, but the nerazzurri are also moving in a future key, as demonstrated by the negotiation with the German defender Ginter (expiring with Borussia Moenchengladbach) or the survey with Sassuolo for Chess, on which there is also Juventus.
In short, a finishing market, a bit like for the Milan which, however, has more pressing needs. Yes, because Kjaer's injury has left a rather big hole in the defense, as well as the start of the African Cup of Nations, which will force Pioli to do without Kessié and Bennacer. The coach therefore needs reinforcements and the club is moving to satisfy him: in Maldini's notebook there are bottomman of Lille, szalai of Fenerbahce e Diallo of PSG, the first two pure central defenders, the other capable of playing right-back as well. Dutch would be the favourite, Hungarian and Senegalese the most affordable in terms of costs, although Elliot has a preferential lane with Lille, as demonstrated by the Leao and Maignan deals. For the midfield, however, the most probable hypothesis remains Adli's early arrival, already officially purchased last summer and left on loan to Bordeaux: Pioli's needs could lead Maldini to review the agreements, but also keep an eye on Faivre del Brest, another name that is back in fashion after the (failed) summer courtship.
The other big names in Serie A, at the moment, do not seem to be in a hurry, starting with Napoli of De Laurentiis, who in any case will have to buy a defender to replace Manolas (we are talking about Tuanzebe of Manchester United, currently on loan at Aston Villa), passing through the Roma of Mourinho, always on the hunt for a midfield director (Maitland-Niles said yes, but now we need to find an agreement with Arsenal). Returning to Napoli, news on the Insigne front is expected shortly, increasingly oriented towards not renewing in order to move to Toronto, where they would guarantee him a five-year contract worth 11,5 million per season: for now, no denials have been received, which confirms the veracity of the rumors. Well Atalanta and Fiorentina, who have already closed the purchases of Boga from Sassuolo (22 million) and Ikoné from Lille (15). For the Salernitana, whose market, as everyone knows, does not concern the purchases and sales of players but the entire survival of the club, the confirmation has arrived - from the FIGC source - of thepurchase by Danilo Iervolino. The terms for the transfer of ownership, intended as payment of the deposit, expired yesterday at midnight. The grenade people and with them all of Serie A can breathe a sigh of relief.
