Luciano Spalletti's day. The Certaldo coach left for China yesterday, where today he will meet Zhang Jindong in his headquarters in Nanjing, before signing the contract with Inter and presenting himself to the Italian press. A tight schedule in just 48 hours, yet another sign of a club that wants to leave last season's problems behind and start planning for the next one.
“I am very happy to coach the nerazzurri – Spalletti's first words at the airport – The signature? It's all right, we shook hands and I'm old-fashioned…”.
Words that therefore smack of official, a bit like those of Ausilio, his companion on the journey to Suning's home. “The facts speak for themselves, Spalletti has always been our first choice – explained the sporting director. – As soon as we could we made it feasible, now we are working to ensure that Inter gets off to a great start".
Difficult, if not impossible, to believe in these sentences: the number one goal, as we know, was Antonio Conte, but this does not mean that the former Giallorossi coach does not enjoy the club's trust, indeed Sabatini's presence is this direction.
Now we will see which team will be born, but in the meantime the competitors have already begun to strengthen, Milan above all. The Rossoneri, after making Musacchio and Kessié official, are about to do the same with Ricardo Rodriguez: the Swiss full-back, arriving from Wolfsburg for 15 million plus 3 in bonuses, landed in Milan last night and will undergo medical tests today ritually.
Third signing for the Fassone-Mirabelli couple, now called upon to resolve two other thorny cases: the renewal of Donnarumma and a top player for the attack. For the first, it's a matter of waiting a few more days (the answer is expected at the beginning of next week, before the goalkeeper leaves for the Under 21 European Championship), the second, on the other hand, is a real intrigue.
Until recently the hot name seemed to be Morata, then the inclusion of Manchester United complicated things and now the Rossoneri, without losing all hope, are turning to Belotti. “To date we haven't received any offers but if they want it they'll have to pay well – warned Toro's sporting director Petrachi. – On paper we don't want to sell it, then you all know how the market is going: should an important proposal arrive, we will evaluate it”.
Days of reflection also at Juve: Cardiff's wound is still fresh but it's already time to move on and plan for the future. The first knot to solve concerns Allegri, who has decided to stay but only in the event of a new contract and a greater say in the market.
The coach, with an interest from PSG, demands a top manager's salary and the club, however satisfied with a season that brought the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia, seems willing to oblige him. The decisive meeting is expected shortly, perhaps even today: the Juventus market will officially start from there, in any case already started with the Schick and Caldara operations (both will remain on loan for a year in their respective clubs).
The other headlines of the day concern Pioli, Totti and Balotelli. The first is officially the new coach of Fiorentina (two-year with an option for the third year), the second continues to fuel the puzzle about his future ("he may not have finished playing"), the third could marry in Dortmund, where yesterday, coincidentally, his agent Mino Raiola was spotted.
